May 14, 2019

Castro, Taylor Joint Statement on Introduction of Bipartisan Feeding Hungry Students Act

WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a member of the House Intelligence and Education and Labor Committees, and Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Education and Labor, today introduced the bipartisan Feeding Hungry Students Act:

“Low income families across our nation struggle daily to meet their basic food needs. The implications are even graver in the state of Texas – where 1 in 4 children suffer from hunger. This reality should be unacceptable to all of us in the United States of America,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “The Feeding Hungry Students in Schools Act of 2019 will empower communities to not only prepare our students for their future, but ensure that they are adequately taken care of. This legislation would finally move us in the right direction to address food insecurity in this country so that all of America’s children–regardless of economic background–have an infrastructure of opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and success.” 

“More than 12 million children struggle with hunger in the United States. We must do better,” said Congressman Van Taylor. “By giving local schools the flexibility to determine the best way to serve the unique needs of their students we can ensure more children have access to nutritious meals – even when they are not in school.”

The Feeding Hungry Students in Schools Act of 2019 would address food insecurity for students by allowing schools to receive, store, and distribute food donations from charitable organizations on campus. By amending the Richard B. Russel National School Lunch Act, schools will now be able to set up their own food pantry in their schools.

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