Whereas there are hundreds of food banks and over 60,000 of their partners, including food pantries and meal programs, that help address the persistent problem of food insecurity, which exists in all counties across the United States; Whereas food banks collect, sort, and store millions of pounds of food donations, as well as distribute food to local food pantries, shelters, senior centers, and schools, and deliver food to people experiencing food insecurity in our communities, serving over 5,000,000,000 meals annually; Whereas food banks are an integral part of antihunger programs in the United States through their involvement in Federal, State, and local programs, as well as privately funded programs; Whereas many food banks manage and support programs that provide food to children after school, on the weekends, and during the summer to make sure children in the United States have sufficient food to thrive; Whereas food bank employees and volunteers also step up to provide critical and immediate assistance during disasters; Whereas, in 2022, 49,000,000 people in the United States turned to food banks, food pantries, and meal programs for assistance and food; Whereas, in the United States in 2022, nearly 13 percent of all households, over 17 percent of households with children, and nearly 15 percent of rural households experienced food insecurity, an increase from 2021; Whereas, in 2021, local rates of food insecurity among the overall population were as high as 26 percent in some counties, and more than 40 percent among children; Whereas, in 2022, 44,200,000 people living in households across the United States, including 13,400,000 children lived in food-insecure households; Whereas, in the United States in 2021, 1 in 14 seniors over the age of 60 experienced food insecurity