WHEREAS, for 35 years, Pamela Irvine, president and chief executive officer of Feeding America Southwest Virginia, has worked to fight hunger and ensure that families in Southwest Virginia have access to nutritious food; and
WHEREAS, Feeding America is the nation's leading hunger-relief organization, with member food banks supplying food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and three million seniors; and
WHEREAS, as president and chief executive officer of Feeding America Southwest Virginia since 1981, Pamela Irvine has overseen the annual distribution of more than 20 million pounds of food to a network of nearly 400 food pantries, meal sites, and afterschool programs in a 26-county service area; and
WHEREAS, in addition to offering her leadership and expertise to numerous Feeding America committees, Pamela Irvine has also served as chair of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, which is made up of seven Virginia and Washington, D.C., food banks in 10 strategic locations; and
WHEREAS, Pamela Irvine received the 2014 Dick Goebel Public Service Award for her diligent work as an advocate for hunger relief, and she was named a member of the Commonwealth Council on Bridging the Nutritional Divide, which seeks to eliminate childhood hunger, promote access to healthy food by supporting agriculture, and facilitate community initiatives related to nutrition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Pamela Irvine for her 35 years of service with Feeding America Southwest Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Pamela Irvine as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her passion and tenacity in the fight against hunger in the Commonwealth and the United States.