Congress Threatening Deep Cut to McGovern-Dole Global School Lunch Program: Calls to Congress Urged to Save Program that Fights Child Hunger

The Congress is threatening a massive cut to the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program that provides school lunches to children in impoverished countries. Calls to Congress are being urged by the Friends of the World Food Program in order to save the McGovern-Dole Program.

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) May 4, 2008 -- The Friends of the World Food Program is urging citizens to call their representatives in Congress urging them to restore mandatory funding for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.

The U.S. Congress is expected to vote on the final farm bill next week. Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, plans to cut the House-passed mandatory funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program from $840 million to $60 million.

This drastic funding cut is unacceptable. Urge your Senator/Member of Congress to restore the $840 million in mandatory funding for the McGovern-Dole Program. At a time of record high food prices that are pushing people into poverty, we need to feed more hungry schoolchildren across the globe, not cut funding for school meals.

Who: Anyone who is concerned about child hunger and the urgent food crisis.

What: Contact Senators and Members of Congress and urge them to support $840 million in     mandatory funding as included in the House of Representatives' original version of the farm bill.

Here are some points you can raise:           

• McGovern-Dole provides one of the only effective safety nets in countries that have been hard-hit by the dramatic increase in food prices in recent months. School feeding programs coupled with take-home rations help ensure that during this difficult time, parents still send their children to school.
• Mandatory funding means that the McGovern-Dole Program will have guaranteed funding during the life of the farm bill, which will help ensure greater long-term planning by organizations that implement the program.
• If the McGovern-Dole Program is expanded and provided with mandatory funding, it will reach many more of the 59 million children in the world's poorest countries who currently attend primary school hungry.
• The delivery of school meals increases attendance rates and helps break the cycle of poverty and despair in some of the world's poorest countries.

How: Toll Free: 1-866-569-FOOD*

*The toll free number will connect your to the Capitol operator. Then, you will have to ask to be connected to your Senator or Member of Congress.

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