Actor Scott Wolf testified in front of the House Ways and Means Committee today at the hearing Food Banks and Front-Line Charities: Unprecedented Demand and Unmet Need. The hearing was chaired by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight, and Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support. Representatives James McGovern (D-MA), John Boozman (R-AR), and Jerry Moran (R-KS), co-chairs of the House Hunger Caucus, testified alongside Wolf. Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide; Candy Hill, SVP for social policy and government affairs at Catholic Charities USA; Josh Fogt, public policy manager at Northwest Harvest in Seattle; and John Stephenson, executive director at the J. Bulow Campbell Foundation also testified. The hearing focused on the effect of the economic recession and increased unemployment on the demand for hunger-relief assistance at food banks nationwide and charities.
Scott Wolf said, "Hunger is a reality for more than 49 million Americans. For these growing numbers of Americans, food banks are truly the first line of defense, and many times the only resource standing between them being able to put food on the family dinner table or going to bed with an empty stomach. If the food banks are to continue meeting the needs of these American families, it will require the sustained support of not only the charitable and private sectors, but the Federal government. Working together, we can all make real strides in the fight against hunger."
In September 2009, Feeding America conducted a survey of member food banks to learn more about the challenges facing them. Feeding America found that 99 percent of all participants have seen increases in the demand for emergency food assistance and more than one-half of the agencies distributing food have turned people away in the past year. On Monday (November 16), the USDA released their annual 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States. The data showed that the number of American's at risk of hunger increased by 36 percent in the past year from 36.2 million to 49 million, including nearly 17 million children. The report paints an alarming picture of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation.
Scott Wolf is a member of Feeding America's Entertainment Council - a group of actors, musicians, athletes, artists and public personalities who are deeply committed to Feeding America's mission to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and who participate in high-visibility engagements to help make hunger in America a top-of-mind issue for the public.
About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Feedingamerica.
About Scott Wolf
Scott Wolf is an acclaimed actor of stage and screen, and beloved by audiences for his performances in several landmark TV series. Wolf currently can be seen in the highly anticipated show "V" on ABC, which recently premiered to record high viewers. The bold science-fiction series places audiences in a futuristic scenario, where the human race is ruled by aliens known as the Visitors. Wolf will star as Chad Decker, 'a career-obsessed TV newscaster who becomes the aliens' propaganda outlet.
Perhaps best known as Bailey Salinger, 'a character he portrayed from 1994-2000 on the award-winning drama Party of Five, Wolf has been a mainstay on television for more than a decade including a starring role in the critically acclaimed drama Everwood. Wolf starred as Dr. Jake Hartman', opposite Treat Williams. On screen, Wolf's diverse credits include Emmett's Mark, opposite Gabriel Byrne, Go, The Evening Star, opposite Juliette Lewis and Shirley McClaine, and White Squall with Jeff Bridges and Ryan Phillippe.
In addition to his extensive work on screen and TV, Wolf's prestigious stage work includes the Tony Award-winning Side Man, Lincoln Center's production of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, and three seasons at the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival.
Source: Feeding America
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