PROVIDENCE, R.I. — March 27, 2000 — To raise awareness of the hunger problem in America, the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America will release comments that illustrate the plights of the hungry nationwide. The following is such as comment: “I have been in a situation where it was difficult to afford food. My daughter and her 2 young children are now in an almost constant situation of going without proper nutrition due to the high cost of living. She just can’t make ends meet, with rent due, etc. I try to help her as much as I can, but I wish there was some way she could be assured of meals for her and her children. Food stamps helped me feed my family, but she isn’t able to get them as easily as I was. It’s a tough situation for so many! This is a wonderful thing the Hunger Site is doing. I hope it’s able to make a huge difference! The comments have been gathered from concerned citizens (whose contributions are anonymous) around the country who have signed on to the Feinstein Petition to End Hunger. Alan Shawn Feinstein’s petition to Congress and the president asks them to make a commitment to ending hunger in America. The Center is in strong support of the Feinstein Petition to End Hunger and urges people to sign on today at www.uri.edu www.feinsteinfoundation.com/ or by calling (401) 277-5490 to obtain a copy of the petition. Feinstein will continue the hunger petition drive until Congress and the president respond to the will of the people. According to statistics released from the Rhode Island Food Bank, 2.6 percent of Rhode Island households are food insecure, meaning that at least one person in the household experiences hunger pangs at some time during the month for three consecutive months. These figures are, according to Feinstein, “a disgrace” for “the greatest country in the world.” Visitors to the URI petition site are invited to share their stories about why hunger issues are important to them. The Hunger Center at URI calls for these stories to help put a face on the issues of hunger and heighten awareness of the differing hunger problems around the globe. Each person accessing either site can also send a free meal daily to a hungry person with just one click. The URI Hunger Center was established in 1999 as a partnership between the University of Rhode Island and the Feinstein Foundation to move the issue of hunger to the forefront of America’s consciousness. It aims to end hunger first in Rhode Island and then around the globe. -xxx- For More Information: Jan Sawyer, 401-874-216