Congressman Kim Highlights Fight Against Hunger
During Week-Long District Tour  

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) finished his third and final stop in a week-long tour of Burlington and Ocean County where he highlighted the need to keep a focus on hunger issues, and heard from hunger advocates about the challenges they face in our community.

“No family should ever go to bed hungry in America; that’s a simple goal and a principle that should guide our actions to end hunger in this country,” said Congressman Kim. “Whether I was in Pemberton seeing the role our private sector can play in addressing food scarcity, volunteering in Toms River seeing the generosity of our neighbors, or hearing from hunger advocates in Marlton about the importance of programs like SNAP, I heard that same goal from people across our state.”

On Tuesday, Congressman Kim joined Virtua Health’s Mobile Grocery Store in Pemberton, where he saw firsthand their converted city bus that is now used to bring affordable groceries to those in need. The bus, part of Virtua’s Eat Well program, was making its first stop ever in Pemberton.

On Wednesday, Congressman Kim volunteered with A Need We Feed, an organization that has provided over 27,000 meals in the past year to veterans, children, families, seniors, people experiencing homeless, and first responders. All meals are prepared and purchased from local restaurants in our community. The effort, which is run out of a local small business, Farro’s Tees, is supported by a combination of grants and donations.

Today, Congressman Kim was joined by Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, Brad Preston, Child Nutrition Specialist with Hunger Free New Jersey, Fred Wasiak, CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey, Marlton Mayor and Vice Mayor, Jackie Veasy and Heather Cooper, UFCW representatives and Jason Ravitz of ShopRite at a ShopRite store in Marlton New Jersey to highlight the importance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in reducing hunger and stimulating economic activity in our community. The Congressman heard from workers at the ShopRite on the importance of this program to their customers and led a discussion on why maintaining these benefits is critical in our fight against hunger.

Hunger issues were exacerbated by the economic impact felt during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, last May, more than 450,000 New Jersey residents did not have enough to eat, including more than 225,000 households with children.

“Hunger was an issue before this pandemic, and we’re already seeing it’ll continue to be an issue long after,” continued Congressman Kim. “We have what it takes to overcome these challenges and fulfill our goal of ending hunger. It’s on all of us to come together and make that happen.”

Congressman Kim has been a leader on hunger issues in Congress, voting to increase SNAP benefits and other programs through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan to help ensure working families can put food on the table. The Congressman is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.