Rep. Betty McCollum, CARE Chef Ambassador Spike Mendelsohn delivered remarks on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON (March 24, 2015) – The global poverty-fighting organization CARE applauds the introduction of the Global Food Security Act of 2015 (H.R. 1567), a bipartisan effort to combat global hunger and malnutrition for more than 800 million people worldwide.
Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced the Global Food Security Act of 2015. This bipartisan legislation provides an important step forward in improving and solidifying the recent advancements in U.S. global food security programming. The bill codifies and authorizes the U.S.’s flagship food security program, Feed the Future. The bill also calls for a first-ever comprehensive U.S. food security strategy that puts women smallholder producers and sustainable practices at the center.
The bill would ensure that smallholder producers in the world’s poorest countries, particularly women, have the tools, education and training they need to produce food for their families, communities and countries. Women farmers are a substantial part of the global agriculture workforce but do not have the same access to resources as men. Research shows that equal access to inputs, information and financing could result in 100 million to 150 million hungry people getting the food they need.
In 2013, Rep. Betty McCollum traveled with CARE’s Learning Tours program to see agriculture projects in South Sudan and Tanzania, as part of a larger delegation learning about U.S. investments in global development.
On Tuesday night, in collaboration with InterAction, CARE Chef Ambassador Spike Mendelsohn, spoke on Capitol Hill about the importance of the bill making valuable U.S. investments to end hunger a law. Mendelsohn is the owner of Good Stuff, We, the Pizza, and Béarnaise in Washington DC.
Mendelsohn discussed his experience working on global food advocacy issues over the last year. In January 2014, Mendelsohn traveled with CARE’s Learning Tours program to Peru to meet farmers, mothers and families and to see the impact of U.S. investments to end hunger. He saw the challenges that these farmers face every day to grow strong crops, manage their land and access nutritious food. He also saw the solutions that CARE and the U.S. government are creating on the ground.
“I’m thrilled at the introduction of the Global Food Security Act of 2015,” Mendelsohn said. “It is a strong step forward toward codifying U.S leadership around global food security and making sure U.S. programs are transparent and coordinated and that they reach women and smallholder producers that are in need.”
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty.
Our six decades of experience show that when you empower a girl or woman, she becomes a catalyst, creating ripples of positive change that lift up everyone around her. That’s why girls and women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity for everyone. We also work with girls and women to promote social justice, respond to emergencies and confront hunger and climate change. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached more than 83 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
Media Contact
Stephanie Chen, schen@care.org, +1-202-595-2824