On Presidents Day, remember JFK

This Presidents Day, let's take a step back in time to John F. Kennedy's first days in the White House in 1961. JFK's first day as president (Jan. 20, 1961) is remembered most for his famous words in his inauguration speech "ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

Less remembered are JFK’s first two presidential executive orders, but they were life-changing ones. Kennedy's first executive order expanded food distribution to needy families in America. JFK wrote "one of the most important and urgent problems confronting this Nation today is the development of a positive food and nutrition program for all Americans."

Kennedy's second executive order created a White House office for the Food for Peace program, which was started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Food for Peace sends donations of U.S. food to fight hunger overseas. JFK wrote "American agricultural abundance offers a unique opportunity for the United States to promote the interests of peace in a significant way and to play an important role in helping to provide a more adequate diet for peoples around the world."

Kennedy expanded the Food for Peace program, which became part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Not only did JFK support the national school lunch program in the United States, but through Food for Peace millions of children overseas were fed too.

South Korea, which was recovering from war, was one of the big recipients of Food for Peace school meals for millions of kids. India, which suffered previously from famine, received Food for Peace donations that saved millions of lives.

The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) was also created during the Kennedy administration.

At a 2008 teleconference with the Friends of the World Food Program I got to speak with George McGovern, who was the Food for Peace director during the Kennedy administration. McGovern described how they started the World Food Program, which is now the largest hunger relief agency. The WFP was an international food for peace effort to work in collaboration with Food for Peace.

Food for Peace today is a major donor to the World Food Program (WFP). A WFP officer once told me that Food for Peace often "saves the day" for WFP operations in keeping them funded and operating.

But the recent foreign aid freeze by the Trump administration, as well as plans to shut down USAID, have harmed Food for Peace.

On Presidents Day everyone could write to their elected officials urging them to save Food for Peace, USAID and humanitarian programs. Tell them that you can fight hunger at home and abroad like JFK, Eisenhower and other presidents have done.

It would be wrong to close down USAID and Food for Peace with so many people starving because of wars and drought. We need to do what JFK did, to expand food for peace efforts. A combination of U.S. food plus programs to boost farming overseas is a powerful tool for peace.

On Presidents Day Americans can rally in support of USAID, Food for Peace and our proud humanitarian tradition.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on the book “Ending World Hunger.“