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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro, NCLR
(202) 776-1566
Shannon Traeger, Feeding America
(312) 641-5717
Washington, D.C.—NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, and Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, will hold a briefing on Capitol Hill about the alarming rates of hunger and obesity in the Latino community and the efforts being made to improve food security and nutrition through policy changes and innovative programs. The briefing, to be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 21, is being sponsored by Representative Joe Baca (CA–43), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture, which has oversight of critical federal nutrition programs.
A panel of research and policy experts will be joined by a bilingual outreach coordinator from the Capital Area Food Bank in the district and a parent from San Antonio, Texas. Emily Losoya, who was recently featured in NCLR’s Comer Bien videos and stories, will speak about her family’s personal experiences dealing with the many factors that help and hinder Latino families’ access to healthy foods. The food bank representative will talk about local-level efforts to break down access barriers and improve food security and nutrition.
Latino households experience food insecurity at almost twice the rate of all households. Food insecurity is associated with poorer nutrition as individuals sacrifice the quality of food in order to make ends meet. Obesity, too, is found with greater prevalence in Latino communities. One in three Latino children is struggling with hunger, and nearly 40 percent of Latino children are overweight or obese.
The recession has exacerbated these health disparities as Latinos were hit harder by increased unemployment. However, programs that protect families from hunger and enable them to access more healthy foods are endangered as part of ongoing budget conversations. Continuing efforts are needed to increase the accessibility and affordability of nutritious food and educate low-income consumers about how to eat healthily with a limited budget.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Congressional briefing on the alarming rates of hunger and obesity in the Latino community and national and local efforts to improve food security and nutrition.
WHO: Dr. Elaine Waxman, Vice President, Research and Partnerships, Feeding America
Sophie Milam, Senior Policy Counsel, Feeding America
Kara Ryan, Senior Research Analyst, Health Policy Project, NCLR
Jennifer Ng’andu, Deputy Director, Health Policy Project, NCLR
Dario Murralles, Bilingual Outreach Coordinator, Capital Area Food Bank
Emily Losoya, Parent, San Antonio, Texas
WHEN: Friday, October 21
2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT
WHERE: 2168 Rayburn House Office Building
Rayburn Gold Room
Washington, D.C. 20515
To RSVP for this event or to get more information, please contact Joseph Rendeiro at (202) 776-1566.
Join the conversation on Twitter by following the live tweets at #HealthyFood4Kids, @NCLR, and @FeedingAmerica.
For more information about NCLR, visit www.nclr.org.
For more information about Feeding America, visit www.feedingamerica.org.
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