Letter
Joint Letter to Congress on Child Nutrition Reauthorization (2010)
Joint Letter to Congress on Child Nutrition Reauthorization, August 3, 2010, signed by Bishop William F. Murphy, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Curry, Chairman, Committee on Catholic Education, Rev. Larry Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA, Sr. Dale McDonald, Director of Public Policy, National Catholic Educational Association, and James Ennis, Executive Director, National Catholic Rural Life Conference
"As a Catholic Coalition of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, National Catholic Educational Association, and National Catholic Rural Life Conference, I write to urge you to bring the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill to the floor.
The Child Nutrition Reauthorization provides an opportunity to strengthen the nutrition programs critical to the well-being of our nation’s children, particularly the 17 million homes where children suffer the most from hunger because their families do not have sufficient food. The current economic crisis and the rising rates of childhood hunger in the last few years signal a new moral urgency to provide the highest priority and funding to commit fully to the President’s goal to ending childhood hunger by 2015.
As you know, participation in federal assistance programs has remained at record levels over the last year. In a recent survey, Catholic Charities agencies across the country reported an increase of 72% in the working poor seeking assistance, 75% more families seeking assistance, 61% more middle class seeking assistance, 56% increase in demand for food assistance, and 56% increase in need for emergency financial assistance. These are indeed sobering numbers that highlight the growing challenge of serving individuals and families going hungry—many for the first time."