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Rhode Island Senate Proclaims Jan. 27, 2026, Food Insecurity Awareness Day After Citing Sharp Rise in Need
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Summary
The Rhode Island Senate unanimously adopted a resolution declaring Jan. 27, 2026, Food Insecurity Awareness Day after members cited 2025 hunger data and recent SNAP interruptions, urging state budget priorities to support food banks and community partners.
The Rhode Island Senate on Jan. 27 adopted a resolution proclaiming Jan. 27, 2026, to be Rhode Island Food Insecurity Awareness Day, after lawmakers read statewide hunger figures and urged prioritizing food-assistance funding.
Senator Valverde moved passage of the resolution after the clerk read text citing a 2026 annual status report indicating that about 34% of Rhode Island households are unable to meet basic food needs and noting racial disparities: 27% of white households, 50% of Black households and 58% of Latino households were listed as food insecure in the cited report. The resolution also noted that the Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributed 18,500,000 pounds of food through its member agencies in fiscal 2025 and that the food bank plans to spend $7,000,000 on food acquisition in fiscal 2026 to meet demand.
"There were some pretty sobering statistics in that resolution," Senator Valverde said, citing recent federal disruptions to SNAP benefits that left seniors, children and working people unable to use benefits. "Hunger is a policy decision," Valverde added, urging colleagues to "prioritize investments in organizations like the Rhode Island Community Food Bank" as they deliberate on the state budget and other bills.
The presiding officer called for seconds and a voice vote. The ayes were recorded and the chamber adopted the resolution; the measure directs the secretary of state to transmit a certified copy to Governor Daniel J. McKee.
After adoption, Senator Valverde introduced guests from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and its board: Kate Mushipi of Good Neighbors Community Kitchen and Food Pantry (East Providence); Heather Hull Stroud of the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center (Newport); and Dennis Leamy, a constituent from East Greenwich.
The resolution is a ceremonial declaration intended to raise awareness and does not itself change state law or appropriate funds. Senate leaders did not request a roll-call tally during the voice vote and no formal amendments or funding directives were adopted during the session. The body adjourned following several brief announcements and an announced meeting of the Senate study commission on the Act on Climate.
