Congressional Hunger Center Announces 2022 Hunger Leadership Awards Recipients

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Hunger Leadership Awards. This year’s recipients will receive their awards in person at the Hunger Leadership Awards ceremony on July 20 in Washington, D.C.

The Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award will be presented to four sponsors of the bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act advances targeted, high-impact, and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of global malnutrition and aims to improve the coordination of malnutrition programs. The bill has passed the House of Representatives and is currently being considered in the Senate.

Michelle DeFreese, an alum of the Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship, will receive the Alum Hunger Leadership Award. Michelle currently serves as a Senior Officer at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Kigali, Rwanda. GGGI is a treaty-based, international, inter-governmental organization that supports and promotes strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. As a Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow, Michelle worked on a USAID-funded project on climate change adaptation, food security, and climate resilience in Morogoro, Tanzania. Michelle serves on the Hunger Center Alum Council and has been a regular volunteer supporter of the Leland Program since the completion of her fellowship.

We believe that individuals and organizations across all sectors have a role to play in ending hunger, and corporate partners are key to achieving our mission of fighting hunger by developing leaders. This year, the Kroger Co. Foundation will be recognized with the Corporate Partner Hunger Leadership Award. The Kroger Co. Foundation is Kroger’s private foundation, established in 1987 and dedicated to making a difference at the national, regional, and local levels. The Foundation supports non-profit organizations, primarily focused on improving food security, so that Kroger communities can thrive. The Kroger Co. Foundation has been a generous supporter of the Hunger Center and has sponsored eight fellows through our Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship.

Our programs focus on bridging the gap between public policy and vital work being done at the local and community level. This year we will recognize D.C. Greens with the Community Partner Hunger Leadership Award. D.C. Greens’ mission is to advance health equity by building a just and resilient food system in Washington, D.C. They envision a city where health equity is a central value, healthy food is a human right, and all residents have the resources to shape and control policies and programs for their own communities.

Founded in 1993 by a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, the Congressional Hunger Center fights hunger by developing leaders and advocating for public policies that will create a food secure world. Through its Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship, Zero Hunger Internship, and online learning hub Zero Hunger Academy, the Hunger Center has trained more than 1,000 leaders working across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors toward a day when all people have access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

The annual Hunger Leadership Awards bring together representatives from government, philanthropy, the private sector, and the wider anti-hunger community to recognize distinguished leaders who are working together toward a hunger-free future.