THI leader appointed to National Commission on Hunger
Baylor University will have a seat at the table on a national commission that provides Congress with policy recommendations on programs and funds to combat domestic hunger and food insecurity.
Jeremy Everett, MDiv ’01, director of the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) at Baylor, was appointed in April to the National Commission on Hunger by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, following Everett’s nomination by Rep. Bill Flores, 17th District-Texas, and Rep. Mike Conaway, 11th District-Texas. Everett attended his first meeting of the 10-member Commission on June 23 in Washington, D.C.
Established by Congress in January 2014, the commission will look into developing recommendations to encourage public-private partnerships, faith-based sector engagement and community initiatives to reduce the need for government nutrition assistance programs, while protecting the safety net for the most vulnerable members of society.
“When Congress created the National Commission on Hunger, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives invited nominations for the commission from Congressional Representatives. When I received that notice, I immediately thought of Jeremy Everett and wrote a letter to support his nomination,” Flores said. “I believe that the appointment of Jeremy to the commission was a great decision, and I commend Speaker Boehner on that action. Jeremy is an emerging national leader in the anti-hunger community. His experience and innovation in creating and implementing effective and efficient anti-hunger programs with Baylor University and the Texas Hunger Initiative is gaining national exposure. I know that he will bring that same expertise to the commission. Through his dedication and hard work, we can make a difference in alleviating hunger throughout America.”
“This is the first time Congress has appointed a commission to address hunger, and I feel both honored to be chosen by Congress for the commission and a sense of responsibility to those living with hunger and in poverty to ensure a better quality of life for all Americans,” Everett said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the Texas Hunger Initiative and Baylor University to put flesh onto Pro Futuris’ mission to address systemic social problems in our world today. What better first step, than to work to ensure that all people have enough to eat.”
Everett leads the THI, a capacity-building and collaborative project, developed in the Baylor School of Social Work, which generates and implements strategies to end hunger through policy, education, research, community organizing and community development.
“We congratulate Jeremy Everett on his Congressional appointment to serve on the National Commission on Hunger,” said Dr. Elizabeth Davis, former executive vice president and provost at Baylor and now president of Furman University. “This recognition is a credit to his exemplary leadership of the Texas Hunger Initiative and his passion for addressing hunger from both the policy and grassroots levels. At its very core, this is a model of ‘Informed Engagement’ from our Pro Futuris strategic vision, where our Christian faith, along with our expertise and resources, inspires us toward solving local and global problems, like food insecurity.”
THI actively convenes federal, state and local government stakeholders with nonprofits, faith communities and business leaders to create an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Texas. Along with its central office located within the Baylor School of Social Work, THI has 12 regional offices located in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, San Angelo, San Antonio, Tyler and Waco.