The following is a guest blog post from Renee Unterman, State Senator from Georgia and Co-Chair of the NCSL Hunger Partnership:
As co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Hunger Partnership, I know the important role state legislators play in fighting hunger in their states.
The partnership's goal is to connect the public and private sectors to improve the availability of healthy food for hungry families. The Hunger Partnership links legislators, staff and businesses to identify innovative and successful programs and develop bipartisan, balanced and concise materials and mechanisms to support legislators in their efforts to reduce hunger in America.
One in six U.S. households struggled with food insecurity at some point in 2016. But policymakers, advocates, and experts know that hunger is a solvable problem with a bipartisan solution.
There are federal programs in place that we know already work to provide vital benefits to low-income families and economic stimulus to local economies. As part of the NCSL Hunger Partnership, I work with legislators from across the country and across the aisle to find ways to make these existing programs work even better and reach even more people who need them. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when we already have these effective programs in place.
As state legislators, we play a significant part in the fight against hunger, overseeing the administration of federal programs, regulating and funding state programs and convening otherwise disconnected partners to promote effective programs and encourage participation.
One exciting way we’ve been innovative in Georgia is through private and non-profit sectors working together to commit significant resources to addressing hunger.
I got to witness one of these unique partnerships in my home state firsthand last year when I visited a farm in an impoverished area of southwestern Georgia, which produces fruits and vegetables for specific medical diets. As a former nurse, I was struck by how the produce grown at this farm serves as a form of medicine for its patrons. I think it’s very important that the Pharm-cy to Table Farm in Sylvester, Ga., connects the dots between the health care community and communities in need.
I am proud to co-chair the NCSL Hunger Partnership, and work together with state legislators, corporate, and nonprofit partners to address hunger in the states.. Together, we are using innovation and collaboration to fight hunger in our own states and across the country.
