In quest to end hunger, Green Bronx Machine welcomes U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern to CS55

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRONX, NY, Tuesday, June 8 – United States Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, visited Green Bronx Machine and its founder Stephen Ritz at its headquarters yesterday at the National Health, Wellness and Learning Center at CS 55 in the Bronx.

Chairman McGovern, who also serves as co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, was there in common cause with Ritz in their joint fight to end food insecurity in the United States.  Recently Chairman McGovern launched an anti-hunger initiative out of the House Rules Committee which features a series of events, including hearings, roundtables and site visits to highlight the reality of hunger in America and steps Congress and the Biden Administration could take to equitably combat it.

The aim of the stop at CS 55 was for Chairman McGovern to learn about Green Bronx Machine’s anti-hunger, nutrition education and food justice efforts in underserved areas in the Bronx, across the country and around the world. 

“As the Rules Committee crafts a plan to end hunger in America, I want to see the important work being done on the ground in communities across the country. The Green Bronx Machine is using innovative programs to invest in students and build stronger communities. Seeing their success firsthand will be invaluable as we build a roadmap for equitably ending food insecurity in this country and continue pushing for a White House hunger conference,” said Chairman McGovern.

In the last year alone, GBM and Ritz have distributed more than 115,000 pounds of food, produced 5,000-plus pounds of produce grown locally in the Bronx, built and stocked three new food pantries, delivered weekly 152 backpacks of food to students and fulfilled more than 1,600 emergency food requests from families in need.  In the process, they have moved school attendance from 40 percent to 93 percent daily and helped provide 2,200 youth jobs in the Bronx.  Ritz and GBM also have trained nearly 1,500 teachers using GBM’s curriculum, impacting more than 50,000 students in the Bronx, across America and around the world (https://greenbronxmachine.org/2020-impact-report/). 

“We applaud Chairman McGovern’s efforts to shine a light on this pressing national issue that we are tackling head on every single day here at Green Bronx Machine,” said Ritz.  “We stand ready to serve Congress and the Administration in helping end food insecurity and food injustice for all Americans.” 

About Green Bronx Machine

Founded in 2011 by Global Teaching Prize finalist and life-long educator Stephen Ritz, Green Bronx Machine (GBM) is an impact driven, for-purpose organization with 501(c)(3) status.  GBM builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st Century workforce development. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, its school-based model and propriety curriculum uses urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators, to grow healthy students and healthy schools.  Simultaneously, GBM also transforms once fragmented and marginalized communities into neighborhoods that are inclusive and thriving.  For more information, visit https://greenbronxmachine.org.

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