USDANEWS VOLUME 56 NO. 7 - AUGUST 1997

The bounty of U.S. agriculture feeds 260 million Americans--and countless millions more people around the globe--every day. I share with you the pride we feel here at USDA in playing some small part in feeding the world.

I have always thought that at USDA, you--the Department's employees--are the greatest resource. That thought is borne out elsewhere in this issue of the USDA News in an article highlighting the accomplishments of our fellow employees in gleaning and food rescue projects across the country. I congratulate them on their successes.

We can all--each and every one of us here at USDA--join in the fight against hunger in America.

With this in mind, on September 2-12, the Department will hold its first national "USDA Challenge Against Hunger"--a nationwide food drive in local, county, state, regional, and headquarters USDA offices across the country. I ask you to support this effort to feed America's hungry by bringing with you to your office on those days canned goods and nonperishable food items for donation to your local food bank on September 15.

The week after the Department-wide food drive, I will host the National Food Recovery Summit in Washington, DC and at remote sites across the country to issue a call to action for fighting hunger in America. I believe that as the "People's Department" we can demonstrate to those gathered at the Summit--national leaders from corporations, non-profit organizations, and community-based organizations--our personal commitment to fighting hunger in our communities by supporting the "USDA Challenge Against Hunger."

At the opening session of the Summit, I will recognize your efforts, reporting the results of our food drive: the amount of food collected and distributed, the numbers of offices participating, and the number of food banks and pantries served. I know these numbers will be enormous. Every bit of effort we expend in fighting hunger in this nation is significant.

And so I ask, "If not us, who?" and "If not now, when?" ¤

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