the Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, November 13, 2006 6:00 pm
An estimated 200 people were lined up at the F Street Recreation Center early Tuesday morning before the doors opened for a Thanksgiving food distribution.
The Nebraska Appleseed Center used that evidence of hunger in Lincoln to call attention to the food stamp program and its importance as part of the next farm bill.
“Farmers are not the only ones who should be paying attention to the farm bill reauthorization,” said the center’s Jennifer Hernandez, as she watched about 50 volunteers fill plastic bags with federal commodities.
Congress could begin work on another farm bill as soon as early 2007. In addition to making direct payments to thousands of Nebraska farmers, the federal legislation is the source of approximately 700,000 pounds of food routed annually to the Food Bank of Lincoln.
Beatty Brasch, executive director of Lincoln’s Center for People In Need, was among those helping coordinate the Tuesday event. Brasch said at least 100 people were in line an hour before the distribution began.
“What it really shows you is how hungry people are,” she said.