Billy Shore: “The 2017 budget is the President’s most ambitious attempt yet to put America on the path to ending childhood hunger.”
This morning, the White House released its 2017 budget proposal. The proposal puts forward new national priorities focused on childhood hunger in America. In his budget message, the President’s gives special attention to “ensuring that children have enough to eat when school is out for the summer.” The budget also pledges strong support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), and provides funding to cover expected caseload for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides nutrition to pregnant women, new mothers and young children. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength’s founder and CEO Billy Shore:
“The 2017 budget is the President’s most ambitious attempt yet to put America on the path to ending childhood hunger. We applaud it.
Federal nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP help low-income parents provide food for their families. Programs like school breakfast and summer meals further close the gap between the kids who have enough to eat and those who don’t.
When kids get the healthy food they need every day, they feel better, learn more and grow up stronger. This is good for the nation; healthier, smarter kids are more likely break the cycle of poverty.
This is a solvable problem. As a nation, we can close the gap between the kids who have enough to eat and those who don’t, but it takes strong leadership and bipartisan commitment. By including proposals that build on the unanimous recommendations of the bipartisan National Commission on Hunger, the White House adds momentum for meaningful Congressional action, aligning with the work already happening in the Senate to connect more children to summer meals. Now our job is to continue building momentum and harnessing the political will to create a truly hunger-free nation.”
Contacts: To speak to Mr. Shore about childhood hunger in America, contact Christy Felling at cfelling@strength.org or 202.320.4483.
ABOUT BILLY SHORE
Billy Shore has been a leader in the fight against hunger since 1984, when he founded the national anti-hunger nonprofit Share Our Strength. In 2010, Share Our Strength created the No Kid Hungry campaign, which is focused on ending childhood hunger in America. Shore also served as a Congressional appointee to the National Commission on Hunger, a group tasked with finding innovative ways to end hunger in America.
ABOUT NO KID HUNGRY
No child should go hungry in America, but 1 in 5 kids will face hunger this year. Using proven, practical solutions, No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger today by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast, are able to get the nutrition they need during the summertime, and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. When we all work together, we can make sure kids get the healthy food they need. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.