Why Feeding the Poorqwhy the Democrats Are Feeding the Poor
It's discouraging to see all the bickering of the two major political parties, because we know the country is strongest when we are united.
And there are examples of unity that are much stronger than those of divisiveness. Back in 2008, I got to participate in a Friends of the World Food Program teleconference with George McGovern, a former senator and presidential candidate. McGovern was a Democrat, but he made a career working alongside Republican senator and former presidential candidate Bob Dole. The two men partnered in the fight against hunger here in the United States and overseas.
Even though McGovern and Dole did not have winning presidential bids, their most important campaign is still ongoing: ending child hunger.
The McGovern-Dole Food for Education program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is making a powerful difference. It offers a chance to bring together Democrats and Republicans in the fight against world hunger.
George McGovern and Bob Dole were greatly influenced by the child hunger they witnessed in Europe during World War II. When the two veterans started their careers in Congress they became advocates for feeding the hungry at home and abroad. That is something every public official should aspire to. No one should go hungry in a world where there is plenty of food.
The Greatest Generation understood the importance of feeding the hungry, and this won the peace after World War II.
Hunger relief from the United States, particularly school lunch programs, were a hallmark of the reconstruction effort in Europe and Asia after the war. McGovern and Dole continued that philosophy during their time in the Senate, culminating in the creation of the program named in their honor in 2001.
The USDA McGovern-Dole program feeds schoolchildren in impoverished countries. Charities such as Catholic Relief Services, the World Food Program, CARE and Save the Children carry out the school feeding using McGovern-Dole funding.
The McGovern-Dole initiative is needed more than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools have been closed because of the virus, leaving children without access to free school meals. This is devastating to poor families that have very little food supply at home. Toula Athas of the World Food Program USA says "Approximately 38 million schoolchildren were severely hungry in 2019. COVID-19 could push a further 36 million into severe hunger, increasing the total to 74 million severely hungry students in 2020."
Take-home rations for schools that are closed are lifesavers. Catholic Relief Services is providing the McGovern-Dole meals via take-home rations in Sierra Leone and other countries.
Daniel Mumuni of CRS says "Throughout Sierra Leone, many families are already living on razor's edge due to entrenched poverty. Even without the pandemic, tens of thousands of children get their only meal of the day through our McGovern-Dole school feeding program. The spread of COVID-19 into these communities, as well as the restrictions on movement, is pushing these families even further to the brink. It's our job to make sure that they don't suffer in silence."
CRS also feeds schoolchildren in war-torn Burkina Faso and Mali with McGovern-Dole funding.
According to CRS in Burkina Faso, "The take-home rations helped families face the daunting challenges of feeding their children. Our second distribution was especially impactful because family food stocks had begun to run out."
When schools do reopen, the meals will be needed as incentive for children to return to class. We should expand the McGovern-Dole program to reach more hungry kids with school meals or take-home rations.
George McGovern passed away in 2012. Dole is long retired from the Senate. But their campaign to end child hunger continues. As we face the worst hunger crisis since World War II, Democrats and Republicans must continue their spirit of working together to fight hunger.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the United Nations World Food Program and Catholic Relief Services on the book "Ending World Hunger."
Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/2020/10/12/feeding-hungry-should-nonpartisan-campaign-democrats-gop/5936367002/
0 Response to "Why Feeding the Poorqwhy the Democrats Are Feeding the Poor"
Post a Comment