Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern will be recognized by the James Beard Foundation for his leadership work in the fight against hunger this fall at an awards dinner in New York City.
Announced Wednesday, six award recipients including McGovern have been selected to receive the foundation’s sixth annual Leadership Awards for work in sustainability, food access and public health.
McGovern in November joined radio personality Monte Belmonte on his 42-mile, anti-hunger fundraising march. During “Monte’s March,” McGovern said that hunger is a political condition and one of his passions as a congressman is to end it.
“We have the resources and we have the know-how to end it, but we don’t have the political will,” he said.
One of McGovern’s most notable efforts is his fight to reject cuts to SNAP, or food stamp, benefits and increase funding for the program. Since 2013, he has delivered some 20 speeches on the House floor as part of his #EndHungerNow campaign. In the speeches, he frequently calls on his fellow congressmen to reject cuts to SNAP.
McGovern, a Democrat from Worcester, is co-chairman of the House Hunger Caucus and member of the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus and the Democratic Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and Opportunity.
Mindy Domb, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center, said McGovern goes the extra mile as far as food security.
“He is an outspoken advocate in the House for expanded SNAP and federal support for food stamps and summer meal programs,” she said.
She added that he is always eager to hear the experiences of those served by local food organizations for those in need, citing an experience in November of 2013 when McGovern visited the Amherst Survival Center, where pantry recipients had been asked to write what the food pantry meant to them and their families on a paper plate.
Domb said the congressman was given those plates and the next day he went back to Washington, D.C., and spoke about his visit, reading those messages into the Congressional Record.
“He literally took the voices and experiences of the people we serve and made sure the House of Representatives heard them,” she said. “What else do you want from a congressman?”
Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, said in a statement that, “This year’s honorees are game-changers who have made an impact in improving childhood nutrition, fighting hunger, and promoting justice and equality in our food system.”
Other award recipients are Greg Asbed and Lucas Benitez, John Boyd Jr., Anna Lappé and Raj Patel.
Ungaro referred to the group as “visionaries” and said the nonprofit foundation honoring America’s diverse culinary heritage was delighted to recognize them. According to JamesBeard.org, the foundation aims to raise awareness of issues relating to food by supporting those “responsible for creating a healthier, safer, and more sustainable food world.”
The James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards are co-hosted by Good Housekeeping, with founding support from the GRACE Communications Foundation. Honorees were selected by previous winners.
Tickets to the awards dinner ceremony Oct. 17 at Hearst Tower are available to the general public for $1,000. JBF Food Conference attendees will be admitted to the dinner for $500. Further details can be found at www.jbfleadershipawards.org.
Chris Lindahl contributed reporting.
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.