A national commission on hunger in the United States has released a report detailing ways our country can improve its food assistance system. And the commission has a local tie: Cherie Jamason, the CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada is one of nine people who were selected by Congress to study food insecurity in the U.S.
They came up with 20 recommendations for changes the government can make to improve programs and use funding more efficiently.
"We are spending about $108 billion a year now," Jamason said, "so the question is, 'How can we spend that money more effectively, and really begin to dial down the number of people who are experiencing hunger in our country?'"
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 14%Â of American households were food insecure in 2014, meaning families didn't know where their next meal was coming from. The report found-- despite economic improvement overall-- that number was basically unchanged from the year before.
Jamason says the hope of the commission was to present actions that Congress can take to improve that number.
Those include: improving child nutrition programs. and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), increasing assistance for the disabled, trying out some new pilot programs, incentivizing corporate help, and creating a White House council.
"The recommendations in the report don't have to wait for some big bill like the farm bill or child nutrition re-authorization," Jamason said. "They are things that Congress can act on right now, that will make a difference."
To see the full report, click here.
