CARE Act Would Increase Food For Hungry PeopleAmerica's Second Harvest The United States Senate acted decisively today to adopt the Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act of 2003 (CARE Act - S. 476), a measure that will allow family farmers, ranchers and restaurant owners to deduct the costs of food donated to hunger-relief charities. The slower economy and uncertainties of the war have resulted in increased demands on America's Second Harvest network of hunger-relief charities across the country.  "The Senate's vote today is a good first step towards helping hungry Americans," said Robert Forney, president and CEO of America's Second Harvest. "The food donation tax changes in the CARE Act result is a win-win for all parties – farmers, small businesses, charities, and most importantly, hungry Americans. Enactment of this measure will encourage increased donations of food that will help people who cannot afford to feed their families." The CARE Act includes the provisions of the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act, originally introduced by Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in 2000. The provision will provide a new tax incentive to farmers, small businesses and independent restaurant owners, making in-kind food donations a financially viable option. The measure will also allow all food donors, regardless of the types of business they operate, to take a simplified charitable tax deduction for that donation. The growing demand for emergency food assistance has in too many instances outstripped the food resources of local charities. A 2001 study of America's Second Harvest food showed that demand at emergency feeding sites had increase 9 percent since the last survey, conducted in 1997. A study released by the US Conference of Mayors last winter reported a 19 percent increase in the number of people seeking emergency food assistance. America's Second Harvest feeds hungry Americans through 50,000 community-based agencies served by more than 200 affiliated food banks and food rescue operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 96 billion pounds of edible food are wasted and dumped in landfills each year. Through enactment of the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act, if even one percent of that food was re-directed from landfills to local charities instead, it would nearly double the entire food distribution throughout the America's Second Harvest network to people in need.
For more information, or to contact America's Second Harvest, see their website at: www.secondharvest.org |
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