Bipartisan Group Of Hunger Champions To Be Honored

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Hunger Center will honor four distinguished leaders in the fight against global and domestic hunger at the 11^th Annual Hunger Leadership Awards on June 13, 2017 at the Madison Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The remarkable men and women to be honored by the Congressional Hunger Center were selected for their leadership in the effort to end hunger in the United States and around the world. They have demonstrated the strength and determination vital for the enduring fight against hunger within U.S. policy and non-governmental work at home and abroad.

"If we are going to end hunger here at home and around the world, we desperately need more bridge builders like our 2017 Hunger Leadership Award recipients," said Shannon Maynard, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center. "Our honorees are bridging the divide between local and global, policy and practice, and communities and Congress. They see all children as our children and so find it inexcusable that hunger exists in this day and time."

The 2017 honorees include:

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), for his sponsorship and tireless stewardship of the Global Food Security Act of 2016. Representative Smith serves as a senior member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and is Chairman of its Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organization Subcommittee. Representative Smith has shown a passion for bipartisan solutions to Human Rights issues through his work with these committees and as the author of 42 laws while serving as a Representative. He has been a steady champion in Congress for people facing hunger and undernutrition across the world.

Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), for his extensive career in advocacy on behalf of low-income people and for the child nutrition programs. Representative Scott currently serves as the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has jurisdiction over WIC and the national school lunch program. Through his service on this committee, Representative Scott has led the fight for access to quality education and strong nutrition support for all students. He has spoken many times, including on the House floor, to highlight the critical links among nutrition, health and education and the need for strong nutrition programs to ensure that children are healthy and successful students.

Shana McDavis-Conway, Emerson National Hunger Fellow alumna. As an Emerson Fellow, Shana's field placement was in Hartford, CT, where she founded GROW Hartford, a youth urban farming program. Her policy placement in Washington, D.C. was with the Community Food Security Coalition and National Family Farm Coalition, where she focused on research and communications. She has also worked as Child Nutrition Advocate for the Food Research and Action Center and authored several publications on food systems, including Washington D.C.'s first community food assessment. Shana co-directed the Emerson Program for almost eight years – and served as a beloved advisor and mentor to 8 classes of Emerson Fellows – before moving to California to serve as Interim Program Director at the Center for Story-based Strategy. Shana is now a Program Manager at the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the University of California-Davis and is also active in the Sacramento Hunger Coalition.

Emily Wei, Leland International Hunger Fellow alumna. As a Leland Fellow, Emily spent her field year with CARE in Lilongwe, Malawi. In Malawi, she conducted research on social protection and food security. At her policy placement with Mercy Corps in Washington, D.C., Emily supported Mercy Corps' food security policy and advocacy and conducted extensive research to document best practices from Mercy Corps' experience with Local and Regional Procurement programs. On completing her fellowship, Emily became a Policy Research Advisor at Catholic Relief Services, where she continues to serve as Deputy Director for Policy Development. She has participated in the training of every class of Leland Fellows that has come after her, sharing her professional knowledge, experience and advice to help incoming fellows.

The 2017 Hunger Leadership Awards are sponsored by Tyson Foods, General Mills, Monsanto, PepsiCo, Walmart, AARP, Kraft Heinz, the Kellogg Company, Feeding America, World Food Program USA, Bread for the World, the Food Research and Action Center, Share Our Strength, and a host of other supporting organizations and individuals.                                                  

The Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to make issues of domestic and international hunger a priority to policymakers in the U.S. government, and to raise a new generation of leaders to fight against hunger and poverty.  For more information, visit www.hungercenter.org.

SOURCE Congressional Hunger Center