The annual State of the Union address by the President is always met with anticipation of gauging the pulse of the federal government and the effect it will have on the nation. Here at Feeding America, we are highly interested to see what will be mentioned around priorities that affect hungry Americans and our neighbors struggling to make ends meet.
After the speech, our CEO Diana Aviv had the following reaction:
"In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama spoke of the economic difficulties faced by millions of Americans living in poverty and the imperative of ensuring everyone has a fair shot at opportunity. We commend him for recognizing that while our nation has made significant progress recovering from the devastation of the Great Recession, millions of families continue to face hard times. We hope that President Obama and Congress will continue to build upon the progress they made in 2015, reaching budget and spending agreements and making permanent tax provisions that help low-income working families and our nation’s charities." Read the rest of the statement here.
For more than 48 million Americans, the pain of hunger is all too real. We need to have our elected officials make hunger a priority. The first step is to learn more about hunger in their home states and we need to tell them. Let your elected officials know that they need to visit a food bank in their area to see firsthand how food banks provide critical services to people in need.
You can also make a difference. Pledge to give time to help your struggling neighbors. In just a few hours, you can pack hundreds of pounds of food, fill dozens of kids' backpacks, serve many warm meals, and, in the process, help change lives. Take the pledge to volunteer and find local opportunities near you.
