FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2020
Contact: Alice Kang, FoodCorps Vice President of Marketing & Communications
alice.kang@foodcorps.org
Senators Introduce Bipartisan CORPS Act to Strengthen National Service in the Face of COVID-19
Washington, D.C. — FoodCorps today announced it has joined Voices for National Service and other non-profit organizations to support the Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through National Service Act, or the CORPS Act, a bipartisan bill led by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) to strengthen national service and support communities across the country.
The CORPS Act will grow the national AmeriCorps service corps; increase the maximum living allowance for corps members; encourage members to serve in the local communities they call home; and diversify the service corps to better represent underserved communities.
“We know that the expansion of AmeriCorps will make a real difference in local communities,” said Curt Ellis, CEO of FoodCorps. “We have seen the many ways that AmeriCorps members who share backgrounds, life experiences, and relationships with the communities they serve deliver greater impact. So we are especially encouraged to see the support this bill provides toward broadening access to national service, including increasing service member stipends and expanding local outreach to diverse applicants. We’re pleased to support this bipartisan proposal and thank Sens. Wicker and Coons for their commitment to investing in critical programs like ours in healthy food access that will help our nation as we recover from COVID-19.”
About FoodCorps
Together with communities, FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced school closures, our 250 service members, spanning 375 schools in 18 states and Washington, D.C., are helping with emergency meal services, remote food and nutrition lessons that reinforce academic priorities, and garden cultivation for community building and local nourishment. FoodCorps is also mobilizing its nationwide network of partners and allies to advocate for policies that will help schools keep kids nourished through this crisis and beyond. Through our service and advocacy, we seek to demonstrate the power of food in schools and ensure our country’s policies and food systems work together to nurture every child’s potential. Learn more at foodcorps.org.
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