WFP USA Awards Senators Bob Casey and Jerry Moran for U.S. Leadership Feeding The World’s Hungry
WASHINGTON, D.C. — World Food Program USA today presented its annual McGovern-Dole Leadership Award to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) for their bipartisan leadership to advance U.S. efforts to address global hunger.
World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley joined USAID Administrator Mark Green and World Food Program USA President and CEO Rick Leach for the award presentation, which was followed by a panel discussion: “Global Food Security and U.S. Leadership.”
“Senator’s Casey and Moran embody the bipartisan approach to eradicating hunger championed by Senators McGovern and Dole. Through their joint efforts in support of global hunger relief, these two Senators helped to provide food assistance to millions of people in need,” said Leach. “Now more than ever, we need U.S. leaders like these two Senators to carry on the best American tradition — extending a helping hand and refusing to accept the reality of a hungry child.”
Senator Bob Casey was the lead Democratic sponsor of the Global Food Security Act, which was enacted in 2016 and serves as the legislative foundation for the U.S. government’s coordinated strategy to fight global hunger, bridging both emergency and longer-term development efforts.
“Access to plentiful, nutritious food is a basic justice issue for many around the world, and it’s an honor to join Senator Moran, Administrator Green, and the leadership of World Food Program USA for this important event,” Senator Casey said. “As hundreds of millions of people around the world go to bed hungry each night, U.S. leadership in fighting global food insecurity is needed now more than ever.”
Senator Moran has championed global hunger relief since the beginning of his Congressional career, first as a member of the House Hunger Caucus and later as co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus. His work on the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Committee has secured crucial funding for international effort to eradicate global hunger.
“Addressing global hunger is important to providing economic stability worldwide and to strengthening American interests and our national security,” Senator Moran said. “Senator Dole has long represented the compassionate spirit of Kansans and the farmers who feed the world, and I’m humbled to receive the World Food Program USA McGovern-Dole Leadership Award. I’m grateful for all WFP USA does to address global hunger and I look forward to working together to find ways to make certain that people across the world have access to food.”
WFP has relied on U.S. support to carry out its life-saving work feeding families in need since its founding more than 50 years ago. As ongoing conflict continues to push millions of people into hunger, this American legacy remains as important as ever. Just last month, WFP and its U.N. partners released the latest report on global food security and its findings only underscore the crossroads the world is facing. For the first time in a decade, the number of hungry people in the world has gone up, increasing from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016. Conflict is the main cause.
About the McGovern-Dole Leadership Award
Since 2001, WFP USA has hosted an annual awards ceremony to recognize leaders who have played a critical role in the fight against global hunger. The McGovern-Dole Leadership Award bears the names of Senator Robert Dole and the late Senator George McGovern in recognition of their longstanding commitment to feeding families in need. Their bipartisan collaboration has become the model for continuing U.S. leadership to make sure no child goes hungry.
Past award recipients include U.S. Senators George McGovern and Robert Dole, U.S. Representatives Jim McGovern and Jo Ann Emerson, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Howard Buffett, Bill Gates, David Novak, Christina Aguilera, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Michael Kors.
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About World Food Program USA
World Food Program USA supports the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme, the leading humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. By mobilizing individuals, lawmakers and businesses in the U.S. to advance the global movement to end hunger, we bolster an enduring American legacy of feeding families in need around the world.
Click here to download high-res photos from the event.
For more information or interviews, contact:
M.J. Altman, WFP USA’s Editorial Director
(202) 627-3932; mjaltman@wfpusa.org
