Bread Welcomes White House Hunger Conference Announcement

Topic:
2 MIN READ
White House

Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World welcomed the announcement that the Biden administration will convene a White House Conference on Hunger, Health, and Nutrition this September. In 2020, 38.2 million Americans, including 11.7 million children, lived in homes in which they were unable to always afford enough food. This is only the second time a conference focused on ending hunger has been held by the White House – the first one was held by the Nixon administration more than 50 years ago.

The following statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World:

“The announcement by President Biden that he will convene a White House conference focused on ending hunger is welcome news. Hunger and poor nutrition are far too pervasive in our country – especially among children, the elderly, people of color, and other vulnerable populations. We believe this conference can be a catalyst that will move Congress and the White House to finally end hunger in the United States once and for all.

“We thank President Biden for agreeing to host the conference, as well as the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. We also want to thank Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN), and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Braun (R-IN), for introducing the bipartisan legislation that will fund the conference.”   

Bread for the World has been at the forefront of the effort, spearheaded by Rep. McGovern, in calling for a White House conference to end hunger. In 2021, Bread for the World organized a series of meetings with more than 40 National faith leaders to discuss how we might work together towards a hunger conference. Over the year, Bread convened local and regional conversations with pastors and local leaders to meet with Biden Administration staff – including the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Bread also delivered a letter with the signatures of more than 400 local pastors and faith leaders to the Biden administration and Congress calling for a White House hunger conference. 

Related Resources