Senate Recognizes Importance of Food Distribution in Schools

On July 3, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Con. Res. 114) calling on the administration to work with the United Nations to expand programs distributing food in schools to hungry and malnourished children.

Sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• There are more than 300 million chronically hungry and malnourished children in the world;
• The distribution of food in schools is one of the simplest and most effective strategies in fighting hunger and malnourishment among children;
• When school meals are offered to hungry and malnourished children, attendance rates increase, particularly for girls;
• Improvement in the education of girls is one of the most important factors in reducing child malnutrition in developing countries; and Girls who attend school tend to marry later in life and have fewer children, thereby helping them escape a life of poverty.