Mr Botchford
Goes To Washington
Local food bank director testifies before congressional committee
Hawley Botchford travelled to Washington, in March, to testify before the Senate Agriculture Committee on behalf of the federal nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC).
He was one of seven witnesses who testified about different aspects of the federal WIC program as the committee drafts a reauthorization of the program's funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, is asking for $4.081 billion in fiscal 1999, which starts Oct 1. Federal WIC grants to states during fiscal 1997 totalled $3.7 billion, according to the General Accounting Office.
Although WIC does not provide food to the food banks, he realizes the importance in the program's continued, and increased, funding.
"Food banks can't do it all," he said. "WIC is probably the most effective child nutrition program there is in the federal government and we can't afford to lose even a $1 of it."
A.K. Hawley Botchford, (executive director of the Harry Chapin Food Bank), and John Poelker (chairman of the board of the food bank) meet with Senator Patrick Leahy (center), a long time supporter of of the WIC program and other humanitarian issues.
For more information on the WIC program visit the USDA WIC site.
The USDA main site is an excellent reference source for food related information and more specifically the USDA's Food & Nutrition Service.
Sen. Leahy is on the board of directors at World Hunger Year which was co-founded by Harry Chapin along with Bill Ayers, the current executive director.