2016 Awards Ceremony

Chef José Andrés, Executive Director Shannon Maynard, and Chef Eric Ripert

The Congressional Hunger Center held its annual Hunger Leadership Awards Ceremony on June 15th, 2016, at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. Leaders from the government, corporate, and philanthropic sectors and the domestic and international hunger community joined the CHC Board, staff, fellows, and fellowship alumni to celebrate the work of CHC and its awardees in the fight against hunger.

Receiving the Congressional Hunger Center Alumni Leadership Awards were:

• Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Director of the Project on Deep Poverty, Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow alumnus
• Michael Johnson, UN Political Affairs officer in Mali and Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow alumnus

Receiving the Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award were:

• Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
• Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI)
• Representative Jackie Walorski (R-IN)

And receiving the first-ever CHC Entrepreneur Award was:

• José Andrés, Chef/owner of minibar by José Andrés & Thinkfoodgroup LLC, Chairman of World Central Kitchen, Culinary Ambassador for the Global Alliance of Clean Cookstoves

Proceeds from the Awards Ceremony provide critical support for our flagship Emerson and Leland Fellowships, which train and mentor hunger leaders through hands-on work both in community-based and in policy-focused organizations throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Emerson Alumnus Indivar Dutta-Gupta	“If we all keep doing whatever we’re doing now, a world that is more just, more equitable, and certainly free of hunger, is inevitable. But let’s get there as fast as we can.”
“When I think about this award, I think about collectivity….”	Leland Fellow Alumnus Michael Johnson
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)	“Adequate nutrition for our nation’s children is a matter of guarding our nation’s security.”
“The work that we have done in a bipartisan, unanimous basis in the Senate Committee needs to move forward.”	Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)	“How do we expect people to be civil, decent, loving, when we deny them the most precious commodity, the most deserving commodity of all: something to eat?”
“There is no greater satisfaction than to be able to fill the stomach of one hungry child.”	Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN)
Chef José Andrés	“Hunger is not a problem for us to solve. It is an opportunity for us to seize.”

Shannon Maynard

Despite the extraordinary work of our awardees there is still much to be done. Forty-eight million Americans live in food secure households. Nearly 800 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy, active life. Executive Director (and National Hunger Fellow alumna) Shannon Maynard closed the ceremony by urging attendees to consider the following questions:

“What new resources or ideas can I contribute to this work? Do I want to get more involved through the Congressional Hunger Center? Is there something I can contribute to their work or a way that they can help me?”

There are many ways to join in the work of the Congressional Hunger Center. Here are just a few:

• Make a recurring or one-time donation to support our work
• Apply to become an Emerson or Leland Hunger Fellow
• Find out how to host an Emerson or Leland Fellow at your organization
• Sign up for our Mailing List and follow us on Twitter

The Congressional Hunger Center would like to express our sincere thanks to the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2016 Hunger Leadership Awards:

The DuPont Oval Logo is a trademark of DuPont or its affiliates

Full List of Sponsors:

• Partner
  • General Mills Foundation
  • Kellogg Company Fund
• Cultivator
  • Land O’ Lakes, Inc.
  • Monsanto, Inc.
  • PepsiCo
  • Tyson Foods
  • Walmart
• Sower
  • AARP
  • ADM
  • The Kraft Heinz Company
• Plower
  • American Beverage Association
  • Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
  • Cargill
  • CQ Roll Call
  • Diageo
  • The Hill
  • Nestlé USA
• Association Sponsor
  • Abbott
  • Albertsons Companies Foundation
  • Coca-Cola Company
  • Dupont
  • Elanco
  • Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
  • General Motors
  • Grocery Manufacturers Association
  • Mars, Inc.
  • Unilever
  • Victory Wholesale Group
• Friend of the Center
  • Bunge North America
  • C&S Wholesale Grocers
  • Corn Refiners Association
  • Feeding America
  • Mondelēz International
  • Share Our Strength
• Non-Profit/Individual Sponsor
  • Alejandra Lopez-Fernandini
  • Alliance to End Hunger
  • Bread for the World
  • Can Manufacturers Institute
  • Sara Lynn Parker & Ed Cooney
  • Food Research and Action Center
  • Global Harvest Initiative
  • International Dairy Foods Association
  • Levinson & Associates
  • Marshall & Debbie Matz
  • National Farmers Union
  • National Grocers Association
  • The Sugar Association
  • World Cocoa Foundation