Feeding Northeast Florida Distribution Center

Jacksonville, Florida

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Commissioner Fried. Thank you very much for that very generous introduction and all the work you’re doing. It is my great honor and joy to be with all of you.

Congressman Lawson, you and I have served together in the United States Congress over the past few years. I will say, in front of all of the friends, he represents Florida well. I see him in rooms when there are cameras and when there are no cameras, and he is always fighting for the people of Florida.

Councilwoman, thank you for being here and for your leadership. Councilman, Dr. Greene, and Susan King, thank you all.

So, you know, here’s the thing. The President — he says it all the time, which is: The most important thing we can do when people are suffering, when people are in need is to see them, to hear them, and to help them. And when we think about this issue of food insecurity, let’s be clear: We are talking about hunger in America. And this is an issue that existed before the pandemic and was grossly exaggerated and amplified during this pandemic.

And the idea that there are children in America who are going to sleep at night hungry — and we’ve all heard the stories about these young, brave — you know, the older of the kids saying, “Well, I knew I probably shouldn’t eat tonight today so that my younger siblings can eat” — what it means for families in turns of, you know, the suffering.