Holding Ourselves Accountable When Stakes Are High
Posted by Billy Shore on Monday, June 21, 2010
Every summer at this time, my neighbor at Goose Rocks Beach in Maine rises at 4 a.m. to fish for striped bass. Our houses sit on a two-mile stretch of ocean, which empties into a river, and the nexus of ocean and river is the best spot to ensnare the hard-to-catch striped bass known as Stripers. When the tide is low (it can leave the beach dry for 500 yards), it provides a good excuse for failing to hook even one. But when the tide is high and the river is full, the pressure to avoid returning home empty-handed is quite high.
Share Our Strength today is in a similar position. The tide is high. Conditions are favorable. Now we must work as hard as we can to make sure we get the results children in America need.
Our strategy for ending childhood hunger is being embraced by governors like Martin O’Malley in Maryland and Colorado’s Bill Ritter. National policymakers like Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), who recently spoke at a Share Our Strength event, and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) have signed on too. Chairman Miller last week introduced the House version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, which included an authorization of up to $50 million for the competitive state challenge grants that we proposed. The grants would give states a funding incentive for improving access to federal food and nutrition programs. Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced the same concept as separate “stand-alone” legislation. There are many hurdles to clear before this becomes law, but even a few days ago we wouldn’t have dreamed this could come so far so fast.
In June we brought 700 chefs to the White House to help First Lady Michelle Obama launch Chefs Move to Schools, and we arranged for chefs to have conversations with Senators Al Franken, Saxby Chambliss, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Representatives Jim McGovern, Carolyn McCarthy and Joann Emerson to name a few.
While all this was happening our volunteers and partners were helping us hold great Taste of the Nation events, grow the Great American Bake Sale and Great American Dine Out, and expand Operation Frontline.
That’s the good news. The bad news? The pressure is on. As my neighbor knows, when the tide is in, one has got to bring back results. For us, the stakes are higher. With continued unemployment and a record 40 million Americans on food stamps, the needs of hungry children are greater than any time in recent memory.
We have accomplished much with the help of all those who’ve joined our No Kid Hungry campaign™, but we have a very long way to go. We must hold ourselves accountable to specific goals and measure our progress. If we do, we will ensure that a rising tide really does lift all boats, and we will succeed in achieving an America where no kid is hungry.
June 21, 2010 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: Child Nutrition Reauthorization, childhood hunger strategy, No Kid Hungry, white house
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