FoodCorps Applauds President Biden and Congressional Leaders for Advancing first Conference in 50 Years on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health
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FoodCorps@sunshinesachs.com
May 4, 2022—Today President Biden announced that the White House will hold a conference on food, nutrition, hunger, and health scheduled for September 2022 in Washington, D.C. First convened in 1969, this conference advanced policy changes that expanded essential programs such as SNAP, WIC, and the school breakfast program. Now, 50 years later, we have a rare opportunity on the national stage to educate and inform policymakers about the value of food and nutrition education in schools to create a more just future for our children.
The move comes after Congress gave the Administration $2.5 million to hold such an event–a bipartisan push led by House Rules Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who all pressed for a high-level, government conference on food issues.
Curt Ellis, CEO and Co-Founder of FoodCorps, stated, “This conference has the potential to spark major policy changes that are long overdue, especially in our schools. This conference will give us an opportunity to continue our advocacy for the needs of our nation’s children in the areas of expanding school meals for all, nutrition education, and improving school kitchens. Schools hold enormous potential in shaping how kids experience food during their school years and for the rest of their lives, from meeting their basic nutritional needs, to ensuring the foods they eat reflect their cultures and identities.”
Ellis has been appointed to serve on the Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, a group of diverse, independent, nonpartisan stakeholders that will inform the goals and policy agenda of the Conference. “I’m honored to join such an esteemed set of colleagues to inform the goals of this historic White House Conference. I look forward to lifting up the priorities of the kids and communities FoodCorps serves and making sure their aspirations are reflected in the agenda that emerges,” Ellis continued. He joins other experts and advocates including co-chairs Chef José Andrés and Ambassador Ertharin Cousin.
In the next months leading up to the conference, White House officials expect to have broad engagement, including nutrition and anti-hunger advocates, and representatives from the health care sector, food companies, and state, local and tribal governments, and those with lived experience with nutrition insecurity. The White House will hold virtual, regional listening sessions this spring and summer to gather input on what ideas should be included in the conference. The goal is to present a national plan and strategy to end hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030.
FoodCorps will continue to advocate for policies that support our children’s nutrition, health, and wellbeing at school. Together with our partners and communities, FoodCorps plans to participate in this conference in a meaningful way and inform our nation’s policymakers why kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging are essential to the future of our country.
About FoodCorps
Together with communities, FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school so that every child—regardless of race, place, or class—gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Our AmeriCorps leaders transform schools into places where all students learn what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Building on this foundation of direct impact, FoodCorps develops leaders, forges networks, and pursues policy reforms that in time have the potential to improve all of our nation’s 100,000 schools. To learn more about FoodCorps’ work across the country, visit http://www.foodcorps.org or follow @foodcorps on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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