Capital Area Food Bank to Receive Federal Funds

WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Tom Davis (R-VA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Albert Wynn (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), released the following joint statement today announcing that at their request, the District of Columbia Appropriations Conference Report for FY 2005, approved by the House of Representatives yesterday,included $300,000 in federal funds for the Capital Area Food Bank.

"The Capital Area Food Bank has been a regional success story for almost 25 years. Without any past federal assistance, it has become the largest non-profit provider of food and other necessities in the Washington metropolitan area and manages to turn 92 percent of every dollar contributed into food and services for our communities. Each year, the Food Bank distributes over 20 million pounds of food to over 285,000 individuals through over 750 partner agencies. The Food Bank's clients include 400 agencies in the District of Columbia, 230 in Northern Virginia, and 160 in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.

"This funding – together with a capital campaign that will raise the vast majority of needed funds from individuals, companies, and foundations – will help enable the Food Bank to acquire a new warehouse and meet the growing demands of the hungry in the Washington metropolitan area. Given the limits of the organization's current facility, the Food Bank was unable to accept almost 2 million pounds of food and other products last year. A new warehouse will allow the Food Bank to triple its output, serve up to 5 million meals a month, and become a hub for its umbrella organization, America's Second Harvest.

"People who are hungry can't stay healthy and can't work or learn at their full capacity. This federal contribution of $300,000 toward the acquisition of new warehouse space for the Capital Area Food Bank is a wise investment that will pay dividends in the Washington region many times over.

Lynn Brantley, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, said today, "The Capital Area Food Bank thanks Congress and the Members from our region for recognizing the role the Food Bank plays in providing a viable food supply for those at risk of hunger in the DC area. We are grateful that Congress has provided us a beginning step in our effort to acquire a new warehouse. Hunger is growing in our region, and we are committed to meeting that need by expanding our operations to better serve the community and our local agency partners."

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