Texas Hunger Initiative Leader Appointed to National Commission on Hunger

Speaker of the House selects Jeremy Everett to serve on commission focused on solving domestic hunger

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Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275

WACO, Texas (April 14, 2014) – House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has announced the appointment of Jeremy Everett, M.Div. ’01, director of the Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor University, to the National Commission on Hunger. The appointment followed Everett’s nomination by Rep. Bill Flores, 17th District-Texas, and Rep. Mike Conaway, 11th District-Texas.

Established by Congress in January 2014, the National Commission on Hunger is charged with providing policy recommendations to Congress regarding programs and funds to combat domestic hunger and food insecurity. The Commission also will develop recommendations to encourage public-private partnerships, faith-based sector engagement and community initiatives to reduce the need for government nutrition assistance programs, while protecting the safety net for the most vulnerable members of society.

“This is the first time Congress has appointed a Commission to address hunger, and I feel both honored to be chosen by Congress for the Commission and a sense of responsibility to those living with hunger and in poverty to ensure a better quality of life for all Americans,” Everett said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the Texas Hunger Initiative and Baylor University to put flesh onto Pro Futuris’ mission to address systemic social problems in our world today. What better first step, than to work to ensure that all people have enough to eat.”

“We congratulate Jeremy Everett on his Congressional appointment to serve on the National Commission on Hunger,” said Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D., executive vice president and provost at Baylor. “This recognition is a credit to his exemplary leadership of the Texas Hunger Initiative and his passion for addressing hunger from both the policy and grassroots levels. At its very core, this is a model of ‘Informed Engagement’ from our Pro Futuris strategic vision, where our Christian faith, along with our expertise and resources, inspires us toward solving local and global problems, like food insecurity.”

The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) is a capacity-building and collaborative project, developed in the Baylor School of Social Work, which develops and implements strategies to end hunger through policy, education, research, community organizing and community development.

THI actively convenes federal, state and local government stakeholders with nonprofits, faith communities and business leaders to create an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Texas. Along with its central office located within the Baylor School of Social Work, THI has 12 regional offices located in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, San Angelo, San Antonio, Tyler and Waco.

In 2013, THI received significant funding for its work, including:

• a $3.5 million Community Partnership Program (CPP) annual contract from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) that has allowed THI to develop an innovative statewide public-private partnership to expand access to food and health care for low-income Texas families through community-based research and programmatic activities, and
• a $2 million grant from the Walmart Foundation for a team of multidisciplinary researchers with THI and Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business to study the vast landscape of summer and afterschool federal child nutrition programs and what can be done to improve them, such as through the development of a fiscally sustainable year-round business model that can be replicated throughout the nation.

Along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, THI hosts the annual national “Together at the Table: Hunger and Poverty Summit” that convenes leaders and practitioners from across the country to share their knowledge and expertise about food insecurity and the eventual goal of ending hunger.

The National Commission on Hunger is made up of 10 people: three appointed by the Speaker of the House; two by the House minority leader; three by the Senate majority leader and two by the Senate minority leader.

In addition to Everett, Speaker Boehner appointed Dr. Susan Finn of Columbus, Ohio, and Robert Doar of Brooklyn, N.Y., to the Commission.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT THE TEXAS HUNGER INITIATIVE

The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) is a capacity-building and collaborative project, developed in the Baylor University School of Social Work, which develops and implements strategies to end hunger through policy, education, research, community organizing and community development. THI works to make the state food secure by ensuring that every individual has access to three healthy meals a day, seven days a week. THI convenes federal, state and local government stakeholders with non-profits, faith communities and business leaders to create an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Texas. Along with its Central Office located within the Baylor University School of Social Work, THI has 12 regional offices located in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, San Angelo, San Antonio, Tyler and Waco.

ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

The Baylor University School of Social Work is home to one of the leading graduate social work programs in the nation with a research agenda focused on the integration of faith and practice. Upholding its mission of preparing social workers in a Christian context for worldwide service and leadership, the School offers a baccalaureate degree (BSW), a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, a PhD degree, and three joint-degree options (MSW/Master of Business Administration, MSW/Master of Divinity and MSW/Master of Theological Studies) through a partnership with Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business and George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Visit www.baylor.edu/social_work to learn more.