Arlington — To the Editor:
As Congress returns to Washington and gets back to the important work of balancing our budget, they are going to have to make some difficult decisions. I think we can all agree that balancing the budget is important, but we need to make sure Congress does it in a way that strengthens our community by protecting the programs that help struggling families.
That's why I think every member of Congress should visit a local food bank before they make decisions about how to reduce our deficit. Hunger is a very real problem that affects every single county in the U.S., including ours, and some of the programs that help put food on the table for struggling Americans at risk of being decimated in the name of balancing the budget.
There's no better way to understand the issue of hunger in our community than to see food banks in action. If any of our members of Congress haven't visited a food bank recently, I encourage them to make a visit to see first-hand the impact hunger has on our community.
Jen Boland
Arlington