Ryan touts Farm Bill, Second Harvest strides

Seventeen percent of children
in the Mahoning Valley live in
poverty, the director said.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The new Farm Bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and Second Harvest Food Bank of Mahoning Valley have the common goal of making sure kids get three square meals a day, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said.

“If we can’t make that commitment, we don’t deserve our prosperity,” Ryan said Monday at Second Harvest’s celebration of receiving a new $80,000 refrigerated delivery truck.

The Farm Bill still must be acted on by the U.S. Senate. The 2003 Farm Bill expires Sept. 30.

Among other things, the new Farm Bill would invest more than $1.6 billion to strengthen priority areas:

UThe fruit and vegetable industry.

UThe food stamp program by reforming benefit rules to improve coverage of food costs and expand access to the program.

UPayment limits to ensure that people making more than $1 million a year in adjusted gross income can’t collect conservation and farm program payments, Ryan said.

Competition

The United States has 300 million people with whom to compete with billions of people in other nations around the world.

“We need every citizen helping us compete ... and we need to make sure children have enough to eat so they can concentrate and do their best in school,” the congressman said.

There is enough food, but the systems aren’t in place to end hunger and poverty, Ryan said.

“It will take commitment to do it. Let’s not accept the idea that poverty will always be here. We’re smart enough and have enough wealth to end it,” he said.

Second Harvest’s new truck, received through a grant from ConAgra Foods, will be a great help in delivering food to distribution centers in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, said Michael Iberis, Second Harvest executive director.

Second Harvest of Mahoning Valley was one of only 13 Second Harvest affiliates nationwide to receive a truck through ConAgra’s Feeding Children Better program, he said.

Iberis said the need for food is greater than ever, with 11 percent of the residents of the tri-county area which Second Harvest serves living in poverty, including 17 percent of children.

“That is a real tragedy,” Iberis said.

Thanks

Iberis thanked the food producers, grocery stores and individuals for donating the food and money which makes it possible for Second Harvest to deliver millions of pounds of food a year to area food pantries and food banks.

Among the donors Tuesday were Tony Frattaroli Sr., representing Sparkle Markets in the tri-county area, who presented a $1,000 check; and the Nemenz Food Stores, which Tuesday donated 2,500 pounds of food.

For every $1 received, Second Harvest can distribute $15 worth of food. “We almost filled the truck,” Iberis said, referring to the Sparkle and Nemenz gifts.

alcorn@vindy.com