Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty Applauds First White House Conference On Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Since 1969

WACO, TX –  The Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP) applauds the Biden Administration’s decision to hold a conference on hunger, nutrition, and health. The last conference was held in 1969 during the Nixon administration and led to a major expansion of school meals and nutrition assistance.

Today, in a video message, President Biden announced the conference saying, “too many families don’t know where they are going to get their next meal…too many empty chairs around the kitchen table because a loved one was taken by heart disease, diabetes, or other diet-oriented diseases… and the toll of these diseases are not distributed equally, it’s higher in certain racial and ethnic groups, including Black and Hispanics and Native Americans, families with low incomes and those living in rural areas…” [White House, May 4, 2022]

“Food is a very emotional issue; it’s close to us, part of our families, and part of our daily life. We applaud Congress and the Biden Administration for taking this historic step in the fight against hunger,” said Jeremy Everett, BCHP’s executive director. “COVID-19 and rising inflation have only exacerbated the issue of food insecurity, particularly for rural communities, ethnic groups, and families with children. It’s why BCHP was honored to develop and administer the Meals-to-You (MTY) program alongside the USDA and deliver nearly 1,000,000 meals a week to rural children in 42 states and Puerto Rico impacted by COVID-19-related school closures. Often, it was the only meal these rural communities received during the harshest months of the pandemic. We know more innovation and solutions are required to end hunger by 2030. Baylor University will continue to research, partner, and engage with public and private stakeholders and policymakers to get it done.”