Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 42

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS IN COMBATTING DOMESTIC HUNGER
Rep. Frank R. Wolf, Virginia - 10th District
I have met with local food banks and pantries in my
congressional district on a regular basis for the past several
years and they all tell me that demand for the service they
provide is at record highs. This is true across the country. 
In the world’s wealthiest nation, roughly 49 million
Americans, or one in six, struggle to put enough food on
the table at some point during the year. Twenty-five million
depend on food banks and other charities. This is especially
striking given that in America there’s no scarcity of food.
The federal government presently provides roughly 96
percent of the money spent on food assistance whereas
private charity provides a mere 4 percent. This is both unacceptable and unsustainable given our current fiscal woes as
a nation.  
We must take common sense steps to address this
phenomenon. A couple of years ago, after meeting with my
district food banks, I learned local schools were throwing out
excess food because they had received misguided advice
that they could be sued if their donated food made someone
sick. So in 2011, I sponsored legislation, which passed into
law, clarifying once and for all that schools are covered under
the federal Good Samaritan Act and explicitly permitted to
donate excess food without fear of liability. This relatively
simple fix had no cost to taxpayers and made a positive
impact on fighting hunger in communities.
The private sector must be empowered and encouraged
to join in the battle against domestic hunger.
Yes, it is important for government to provide a safety
net for those who fall on hard times. But in the face of
exploding national debts and deficits and further cuts to
domestic discretionary spending, including food stamps, all
but inevitable, it is time for any American who is committed
to combatting domestic hunger to consider complimentary
public-private partnership initiatives to buttress federal
government assistance.
What if every company, Rotary, Kiwanis Club, PTA,
law firm and school were to twice a year—and not just at
Thanksgiving and Christmas—hold a food drive to restock
and replenish the empty shelves of our nation’s food pantries
and raise awareness about the hungry in our midst?
What if farmers were to set aside an acre of their land
for the local Scout group to cultivate and then donate their
bounty to the area food bank? 

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Bread for the World Institute

Office of Rep. Frank R. Wolf

Congressman Frank Wolf (in the red tie) helping Feds Feed
Families, a national canned food drive conducted by federal
employees.

What if government were to incentivize farmers to
set aside land for the purpose of gleaning? What if this
agricultural contribution to the public good qualified as a
charitable gift?
What if every governor had someone on staff dedicated
to tackling hunger in their state?  What if this person was
tasked with reaching out to every restaurant owner, public
school, farmer and food bank in the state with the aim of
connecting those with more than enough to those with not
nearly enough?
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