President Visits D.C. Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank
Washington, D.C.
11:11 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks. Be seated. Thank you very much, good
morning.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Good morning.
THE PRESIDENT: It is nice to be in a building full of food and
full of love. We are honored to be here. Laura and I are here to send
a message to our fellow Americans, we hope you love your neighbor as
you would like to love -- be loved yourself, that in this holiday
season, let's commit ourselves to making it a season of service to
others, others who might hurt, others who need food, others who can
benefit from our kindness and generosity.
I love to tell people in this country -- this is a fabulous
country -- in my judgment, the greatest country on the face of the
Earth. And the reason why is because America is full of people who
have got great hearts and great souls, people who are willing to serve
something greater than themselves. My call for the holiday season is
for people to serve your nation by helping somebody in need, to join
the -- become a soldier in the army of compassion.
I want to thank the Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, for her
service to our country. Mr. Mayor, I appreciate you being here. It's
nice to see you -- appreciate you keeping the potholes around the
White House -- (laughter). I'm honored that members of the City
Council are here. Thank you, all, for coming. It's a -- it is a
fantastic tribute to your government that you support programs such as
this food bank, center for -- for the eradication of hunger in
Washington, D.C. I appreciate your -- appreciate your strong
statement and your deep concern.
I want to thank Lynn. Lynn Brantley is president and CEO of the
Capital Area Food Bank. I appreciate your heart. I appreciate your
organizational talents. I mean, after all, this is the center for
distribution to hundreds of outlets to feed people who are hungry. I
mean, not only does Lynn care a lot, but she has obviously got a pretty
good -- a capacity to organize. She had me in peaches and spinach.
(Laughter.)
I want to thank Greg TenEyck, who is the Chairman. Good morning,
Mr. Chairman. Thank you. I want to thank Barry Scher, who is the
Vice-Chairman. Thank you all for helping out and dedicating your time
and efforts to make sure this program is viable and strong.
I think the thing we've got to understand here in the midst of all
our plenty is that there are people who hurt, people who are hungry,
people who need love. People who, when you hear the word American
Dream have no idea what you're talking about. And if they do, they
wonder whether or not that American Dream applies to them.
Our goal in America is to do everything we can to help those who
hurt. And there is a role for government, no question about it. I
like to say government can spend money but government cannot put hope
in people's hearts, or a sense of purpose in people's lives.
Government can help, but government should never crowd out the great
compassion we find in programs such as this right here.
Washington, D.C., hurt as a result of the attacks of September the
11th. The economy suffered around here. Therefore, there are more who
hunger and there are less who are giving.
The agencies involved with helping those in need, need our
sustained help. This organization here attracts nearly 12,000
volunteers. I want to thank those who volunteer here. I want to thank
you for what you do, and thank you for being a part of the great fabric
of compassion in America.
More Americans need to volunteer. There are ways to do so. The
USAFreedomCorps.gov on the web page is the place to look. You can all
1-877-USA-CORPS and find out ways that you can help. If you are
interested in being a part of feeding those who hunger, this is a great
place to come to.
But you can find out on the web page other ways to help. People
oftentimes say, well, I want to help; I don't know how. Well, we're
trying to help you find out how. I hope people around this country
realize that agencies such as this food bank need money. They need our
contributions. Contributions are down. They shouldn't be down in a
time of need. We shouldn't let the enemy affect us to the point where
we become less generous. Our spirit should never be diminished by what
happened on September the 11th, 2001.
Quite the contrary, we must stand squarely in the face of evil by
doing some good. And part of doing good is not only dedicating your
time and talent to help, but to reach into your wallet so that those of
us who hurt among us have a chance to heal and to be a part of the
American experience.
Those who are poor, those who suffer, those who have last hope are
not strangers in our midst; they're our fellow citizens. And in this
time of joy, in the time of blessing, we've got to remember that. To
make the season complete and the season whole, we must help those who
are in need.
One of the things you've got to -- I hope you'll recognize about
me is sometimes I get a little wordy; I admit that. But I hope you
view me as a man of action as well. We've got over 29 federal
agencies, people within the agencies who have been called upon to
help. And they are helping. And I want to thank the federal employees
who have heard the call to love their neighbor just like you would like
to be loved yourself.
We all have a responsibility in high positions or low positions to
follow through with our -- with words and deeds. And this
administration is committed to fulfilling the great promise of the
American experience.
Again, I want to thank you all for coming. You know, we live in a
blessed land. We live in a fantastic, fantastic country. The goals
for this country are peace in the world. And the goals for this
country are a compassionate American for every single citizen. That
compassion is found in the hearts and souls of the American citizens.
My call to the American people is, patriotism is more than just
putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot in America is
serving something greater than yourself, is serving the greatest
country on the face of the Earth by helping a neighbor in need.
May God bless this institution. May God bless the volunteers and
donors and people who have made Capital Food Bank thrive. May God
continue to encourage the spirit of giving and love. And may God bless
America. Thank you. (Applause.)