Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., introduced the Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act in the Senate this week. The bill would modify the tax code to provide a tax credit for transportation companies that volunteer trucks to transport donated food.
The legislation — which would create a 25-cent tax credit for each mile that food is transported for America’s Second Harvest and other nonprofits by a donated truck — is supported by a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.; Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ariz.; and David Vitter, R-S.C.
“This legislation is a vital component of our efforts to increase the amount of food available to hungry Americans,” says Vicki Escarra, chief executive officer of America’s Second Harvest. “With so many Americans at risk of going hungry, new avenues such as this to increase food donations are critical.”
The America’s Second Harvest network secures and distributes more than two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. Last year, the network provided food assistance to more than 25 million hungry people in the United States, including nine million children and three million seniors. For more information, go to www.secondharvest.org.
