Washington DC  -  October represents a season of harvest in the United States, an opportunity to celebrate the bounty of the earth that has blessed our nation throughout its history. But on World Food Day, October 16, we also mark a sobering reality - over 840 million men, women and children in the developing world suffer from severe hunger. Within our own country, over 30 million face food shortages each month, despite these harvests of plenty.

World Food Day reminds us of the millions suffering from hunger and calls the international community to a greater awareness and greater commitment to battle hunger during our lifetimes.

At the Rome World Food Summit held in November, 1996, 182 nations pledged to cut hunger in half by the year 2015. Sadly, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that at the current rates of hunger reduction, that goal will not be met until 2115 - a full century later. We must do better.

Americans are a generous people, and as the world’s leading agricultural producer our mission is to feed the millions of less fortunate, starving, and malnourished people in the world.

In our own congressional districts, many of our constituents take part in October "crop walks" to raise funds for hunger projects. They also volunteer at food banks, after school meals programs, and gleaning projects, where food is rescued from fields and donated to the less fortunate. They donate their time and money as members of church groups, school groups and civic organizations. But volunteer efforts are only part of the long-term solution.

Americans also expect their government to take a leadership role in ending hunger. Results of national polling on attitudes toward foreign aid and world hunger show that an overwhelming 83 percent would support multilateral efforts to cut world hunger in half by the year 2015. In a coordinated effort with the European Union and Japan, and in partnership with developing country governments, the U.S. should lead a major effort to reach the World Food Summit goals. This year's World Food Day theme, the International Alliance Against Hunger, is a way to build greater momentum to cut hunger in half during our lifetime.

As the bi-partisan co-chairs of the Congressional Hunger Center, we are resolved to seize every opportunity to end hunger in the U.S. and overseas. This means raising awareness among our congressional colleagues about the scourge of hunger, consulting with experts on how to reduce hunger, and most importantly, supporting both private sector and public sector initiatives that can make a difference.

The federal government has a variety of programs aimed at combating hunger. With the exception of a handful of programs where funding is guaranteed, like Food Stamps and subsidized school lunches, the majority of our food assistance and food security programs, at home and abroad, are consistently underfunded. These include such domestic programs as school breakfasts, summer child feeding programs, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) basic nutrition program, and support for community food banks and seniors programs.

Our international food aid and food security development programs lack the funds they need.  Among the programs deserving the full support of Congress are Food for Peace, Food for Progress, and the newly-established George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, in which the world's hungry and poor children receive nutritious meals.  By matching food with education, this program is meeting the most critical nutritional needs of children while providing a real incentive for young students to attend school.  School feeding programs help keep children from turning to delinquency or crime.

Compassion and humanitarian motives are powerful, but it is also in our national security interests and in the interests of all developed nations to eliminate the scourge of hunger. Growing up hungry, health and development are endangered.  Focusing on education is tedious.  Social adjustment is nearly impossible.

Parents watching their children suffer from hunger feel desperation, hopelessness and anger - whether in Montana or Mozambique. The conditions that create hunger contribute to local and regional instability, hostility, war and terror.

A dramatic reduction of world hunger in our lifetime is within our reach. World Food Day reminds us of the challenge that remains before us.  Our goal is to transform World Food Day into a celebration of the end of hunger, rather than a reminder of how many millions still do not have enough to eat.