 |
|
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clinton urges communities to end hunger during D.C. Central Kitchen visit
December 22, 1999 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Flushed with the spirit of the holidays and a little kitchen heat, President Bill Clinton on Wednesday volunteered at the D.C. Central Kitchen, preparing meals for Washington, D.C.'s homeless and praising the group's efforts to end hunger in the nation's capitol. Speaking amid cans of pumpkin, lima beans, corn meal and tomato soup, Clinton told the kitchen's AmeriCorps volunteers, job trainees and staff that "working with others is not just a duty, it is a privilege. Whether you are preparing meals or teaching a child to read, you always get more than you give."
"I think this is really an important thing to remember at this season," he added. Clinton said he hoped other communities would use the D.C. Central Kitchen as a model for their own programs. Since 1989, the organization has "rescued" 2.5 tons of food per day from area restaurants, caterers and cafeterias, prepared meals, and provided job training for the area's homeless population. "This place takes food that would otherwise go to waste and provides 3,000 meals a day," Clinton said. The organization, he continued, offers three "recipes" for opportunity, service and alleviating hunger. D.C. Central Kitchen Director Robert Egger said of the group, "This is first and foremost a community kitchen. We know it takes community coming together if we are going to solve the problem of hunger in our community." "I want everyone in America to pay attention to this," Clinton said. "We are ending this century on a very high note. But it's important not to forget that the number of people that are really in dire straits is still very, very significant." Noting that the U.S. wastes an "appalling" 96 billion pounds of food each year, the president said that since he signed the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act a few years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been working with communities to institute similar food rescue programs. But, he emphasized that the effort needs to occur at the community level. "We come here at the holiday season because everybody is thinking about this. But what we should do at the holiday season is make a commitment that will last all year long." Clinton said. Written by Amy Paulson. |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MORE STORIES:Wednesday, December 22, 1999
• Video: Keyes labels polls as 'dangerous' • Video: Presidential hopefuls launch Internet banner ads • Clinton urges communities to end hunger during D.C. Central Kitchen visit • NHPrimary.com: Forbes offers variety of choices at meeting • Gore pitches preschool and spars with Bradley over schools • Bush tests new ad strategy • McCain says library should block sexually explicit sites • Hillary Clinton says Giuliani "gets angry quite often" • Bradley's challenge -- pull an Iowa surprise, then keep going • Forbes bashes Bush in new radio commercials • McCain vows to keep campaign clean no matter what • Tripp will not testify at court hearing • Forbes addresses students on school choice, economy, morals • Jury finds former Georgia state Senator Ralph David Abernathy III guilty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
