U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Monday, June 30, 2008		CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 Michael Amodeo – 202-228-5019
Sen. Salazar Kicks Off Statewide 'Food and Energy Independence Tour' at Food Bank of the Rockies WASHINGTON, DC – Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar kicked off his statewide Food and Energy Independence Tour at the Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver. Senator Salazar’s visit to the Food Bank was the first of many stops throughout Colorado that will highlight the concrete benefits of the 2008 Farm Bill for all Coloradans. In his remarks, Senator Salazar highlighted the Farm Bill's nutrition title, which devotes over $190 billion - two thirds of farm bill spending - to nutrition and food assistance programs that bolster the outreach efforts of our nation's food banks, including the Food Bank of the Rockies, and delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to schoolchildren in Colorado and across America. “From rural communities like Lamar and Sterling to the urban areas of Denver, the Farm Bill is essential to every single one of us - whether we grow the food we eat or rely on it being available to feed our families,” said Senator Salazar. “The Farm Bill’s robust nutrition title is of particular importance in the face of a slumping economy, four-dollar-a-gallon gas, and a growing foreclosure crisis. By making critical investments in nutrition, we will assist food banks and other community food providers as they combat hunger and food insecurity in these trying economic times.” At today’s kick off, Senator Salazar was joined by Kevin Seggelke, President and CEO, Food Bank of the Rockies; James Baldwin, Community Food Share; Leona Martens, Weld Food Bank; Amy Pezzani, Food Bank for Larimer Country; and Nicholas Saccaro, Care and Share Food Bank. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Salazar played a key role in writing the Farm Bill, which makes much-needed investments in rural communities across Colorado and the United States; helps deliver safe and healthy food to family dinner tables; provides fresh fruits and vegetables to kids at school; improves the stewardship of America’s land and water; and helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil. For a full list of provisions Senator Salazar fought to include in the Farm Bill, click here. ###