Sponsored in Congress by Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8CD) (Center) with L-R Rock and Wrap It Up! Projects Coordinator Peter Sobol, Database Specialists Alexis Kaplowitz and Marisa Rosenthal and CEO and Founder Syd Mandelbaum
Contact: Diane Mandelbaum 1-516-295-5686 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rock and Wrap It Up! Is Joined by President Bush to Feed Hungry Americans
Washington DC, 6/26/08
The President has joining forces with Rock and Wrap It Up! (RWU). Rock and Wrap It Up! is a national, independent anti-poverty think tank based in New York. It is non-profit and nonpartisan, an organization devoted to developing and implementing innovative greening solutions to the pressing issues of hunger and poverty in America. President George W. Bush signed the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 into law on June 19th 2008.
The Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 encourages federal buildings to arrange to have their excess food feed the hungry in the cities where the buildings are located. This will feed millions more who hunger and reduce our land fill. Says CEO and Founder Syd Mandelbaum: “We are humbled and thrilled that President George W. Bush feels the commitment to help feed those who hunger in this country.”
In 2006, Rock and Wrap It Up! began to see an increase in the numbers of people using pantries and soup kitchens nation-wide. Through research in New York and Washington DC, federal buildings were found to have an inconsistent policy regarding food that was prepared but not served in federal buildings. Rock and Wrap It Up! issued a position paper to address this problem. Dan Glickman former Secretary of the Untied States Department of Agriculture was consulted and Joel Berg, Executive Director of the NY Coalition Against Hunger and Homelessness, formerly part of the USDA helped write the preliminary Act. When completed, Rock and Wrap It Up! Board member and US Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8CD) agreed to sponsor the Act on November 15th, 2007. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chaired by Henry Waxman (CA -9CD) , received the Act and recommended it for passage by the House Of Representatives. It passed unanimously on Dec 17th 2007, making it the fastest Bill to be approved in the House in its 210+ year history. Rock and Wrap It Up! approached Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) to introduce the Bill into the Senate. While a Congressman from Queens, NY, Schumer volunteered in a Rock and Wrap It Up!-affiliated soup kitchen, The Claddagh INN in Rockaway Beach NY. He agreed to be the Bill’s standard bearer and sponsored the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. It passed in Committee and was recommended to the Senate by Chairs Joe Lieberman (CT) and Susan Collins (ME). It was unanimously passed on May 22nd , 2008.
Since 1996, Rock and Wrap It Up!, has worked with the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in contractually obligating election night food in 1996, 1998, and 2000 through one of its national programs, Everyone Wins on Election Night!. In addition, food remaining from President Bush’s first and second inaugural galas was recovered by Rock and Wrap It Up!.
Rock and Wrap It Up! founded in 1991 and has fed over 50,000,000 people. There are over 5,000 volunteers serving 500 cities.
RWU successfully work in 4 sectors:
Music -Since 1994, we have partnered with 153 bands that tour and include a stipulation in their contract requiring that food that is prepared but not served not go into landfill. We developed close relationships with bands who work with our development department.
Schools -Since 1997, over 300 schools nation-wide have started Rock and Wrap It Up! School Programs to empower students to recover food and other assets from their schools for distribution in the local community. Snack Wrap! encourages younger students to share unopened snacks with children in latchkey programs. High School and College students recover food that is prepared but not sold in their schools and share them with agencies in their community who fight poverty. Our asset recovery program recovers assets from graduates and shares them with the local poverty-fighting agencies.
Sports -Since 2003, 30 sports franchises included in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MBL, NHL and AFL have partnered with Rock and Wrap It Up! to participate in Sports Wrap! Food that is prepared but not sold from home games are recovered and feed the indigent.
Public Advocacy -In 2003, Rock and Wrap It Up! was adopted by resolution to serve as a think tank for the United States Conference of Mayors, developing tactics and strategies to help fight hunger. In 2006, Rock and Wrap It Up! formed a Public Advocacy Corp. In November 2007, after researching, creating and introducing the core elements of an Act to exponentially increase excess food into the national pipeline, the Federal Food Recovery Act of 2008 was signed into Law on June 19,2008.
