FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2007
Washington, DC - For the 15th consecutive year, Victory Wholesale Group of Springboro, Ohio and Boca Raton, Florida, and the Washington, D.C. based Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) have teamed up to recognize anti-hunger organizations, food banks and HIV/AIDS clinics that have worked effectively to promote food as medicine in their communities. Every member of Congress was given the opportunity to nominate organizations in their own community or state to receive one of the $1,000 prizes that are underwritten by Victory Wholesale Group. The Congressional Hunger Center received 45 nominations and made 22 awards. This year's competition marks a total of over $263,000 that has been awarded through the Victory Against Hunger Awards (VAH) Program.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) and Rep. James P. McGovern (D-MA), CHC board co-chairs, have stated, "The Victory Against Hunger Award winners are living examples of men and women who are citizens and not just spectators. Every one involved with these anti-hunger organizations is dedicated to getting food into the hands of those who might otherwise go without. We are proud to add our names to the list of people giving them well-deserved praise for all they are doing to end hunger in their communities and across our country."
The 2007 VAH awards are being announced today at the Association for Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA) Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky applauds the work of VAH winner Vital Bridges at the 14th Annual ANSA Conference in Chicago
Awards were given to organizations and clinics that demonstrate success and creativity in "fighting hunger by using food as medicine for people living with HIV/AIDS and other life threatening illnesses." There is a growing recognition of the crucial role that food and nutrition services play in the treatment of many chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. These awardees demonstrate how the provision of high nutrient foods and nutrition services enhance and improve the quality of life for thousands of very poor and ill people.
The Congressional Hunger Center is very grateful to the local, state and national organizations and congressional staff which assisted us in the nomination process. The 2007 VAH selections committee, composed of some of the nation’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS, hunger, nutrition, and nutrition services faced a daunting challenge with the 45 well-deserved nominations. Among the 22 selected local groups around the country, two stellar organizations exemplify the use of food as medicine to treat those with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, Project Open Hand-Atlanta and Food & Friends.
The selections committee chose Project Open Hand-Atlanta, nominated by Senator Saxby Chambliss and Representative John Lewis, because of its leadership in the field of promoting "food as medicine." Project Open Hand-Atlanta‘s mission is "to help people with chronic disease or disability overcome barriers to improved health by offering home delivered meals and prevention based nutrition programs." Project Open Hand-Atlanta serves a diverse population of men, women and children with unique nutrition needs. A Comprehensive Nutrition Care program is utilized to meet varying client needs, both in terms of health and personalized goals and objectives. The approach includes six special programs ranging from prepared meals, nutrition education and counseling to medical nutrition therapy.
Food & Friends of Washington, DC, nominated by Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton and Representative Steny Hoyer, is also a 2007 VAH winner. As Representative Norton pointed out in her nomination letter, Washington, DC leads the country in newly diagnosed cases of HIV with 11 times the national average of prevalence rates. The District also has the highest per capita cancer mortality rate in the country. Food & Friends plays a critical role by improving the quality of life for residents of DC and its surrounding areas. Along with delivering life-sustaining meals to critically ill persons and their loved ones in need, Food & Friends’ sound nutrition and education counseling may also help prevent future incidences of illness.
The annual "Victory against Hunger Awards" was established by David Kantor, President of Victory Wholesale Group, to recognize outstanding organizations in the United States that work to end hunger at the state and local level. Fourteen years ago Kantor teamed up with then Congressional Hunger Center Chairman, Rep. Tony Hall, because each believed strongly in the value of keeping members of Congress involved in solving the problem of hunger.
Founded in 1979, Victory Wholesale Group is a wholesale distributor of dry groceries and health and beauty care products. Victory Wholesale Group is a national company, employing hundreds of people across the country, which distributes to wholesalers and retailers in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
Established in 1993, the Congressional Hunger Center's mission is to fight hunger by developing leaders who have a shared commitment to a nation and a world free from hunger. It embodies the spirit and goal of the former House Select Committee on Hunger, "to find real solutions to hunger and poverty."
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