KINGSTON, R.I. — November 15, 1999 — Generally the turkey isn’t the only thing that gets stuffed on Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday during which most of us overeat. Yet in this land of plenty, there are Americans going hungry. You can do something about it, but first here are some statistics that are hard to digest: • 20 million people in this country are hungry. • 10 million children are malnourished. • 4 million children under 12 are going hungry. • One in 10 American households are experiencing hunger. The University of Rhode Island Feinstein Center for a Hunger-Free America is seeking a million signatures on a petition designed to show government officials just how many Americans want their help to end this national disgrace. To date, 387,618 signatures have been collected. To speed the process, URI has created a web page so people can sign the petition electronically and/or print off other petitions for their friends. The address is www.uri.edu/volunteer/endhunger/. The petition calls for Congress and the president to commit to ending hunger in this country. The petition was conceived by Alan Shawn Feinstein, a noted Rhode Island philanthropist and humanitarian dedicated to the battle to end hunger. He has repeatedly stated: “To have 35-million people in the greatest, richest country go hungry or worry about hunger is a shame. It is our shame.” This holiday it isn’t only your blessings that count; it’s your signature, too. Again the web address is www.uri.edu/volunteer/endhunger/ For more information, call the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America at 401-874-2160. -xxx- For More Information, Jan Sawyer, 401-874-2116