Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Signs Legislation to Help Feed Missourians; Encourages Donations
ST. LOUIS–Gov. Matt Blunt today signed House Bill 1559 and honored National Hunger Awareness Day during a ceremony at the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jane Cunningham, offers new protections for grocery and convenience stores that choose to donate in good faith canned and perishable food items to charity and nonprofit organizations.
Grocery and convenience stores will now be able to donate food to organizations that offer free distribution, like the St. Louis Area Foodbank, without fear of being subject to criminal penalties or civil damages because of the condition of the food, unless an injury is related to the gross negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct of the grocery or convenience store.
"Last year I visited the St. Louis Area Foodbank and witnessed firsthand the compassionate spirit of this organization as they work to feed the hungry," Blunt said. "This bill expands the pool of existing food donors and will help ensure safe, adequate food makes it to the tables of those in need instead of being tossed in the trash."
Blunt encourages businesses to take advantage of the new law.
The St. Louis Area Foodbank provides food for an estimated 193,000 individuals each year. Thirty-two percent of the members of households served by the foodbank are children under 18 years old.
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