‘Healthy Kids,’ Hunger Policy, and Public Argument
A University Writing Program/First Chapter Food Justice Event
Wed, 19 November, 2014
7:15pm
Please join Audrey Rowe, Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Member of Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA 2nd District) for an insider’s look at ongoing policy efforts to feed our children. What forces have shaped national debates and influenced policies such as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010? What role do democracy and public argument serve not only in developing policies and passing legislation but in their implementation?
As the Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C., Ms. Rowe directs efforts to provide children and needy families with better access to food and a more healthful diet through its 15 nutrition assistance programs and nutrition education efforts. Most recently, Rowe served as Deputy Administrator for Special Nutrition Programs at FNS, leading the effort to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity in a generation.
Currently serving his ninth term, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA 2nd District) serves as the second ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee. He is also co-chair of both the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the House Hunger Caucus. McGovern has taken a leadership role in the fight against hunger at home and abroad, successfully expanding the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, which helps alleviate child hunger and poverty by providing nutritious meals to children in schools in the world’s poorest countries.