Honoring Debbie Espinosa

Text in the Record

(Mr. RUIZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Debbie Espinosa, president and CEO of FIND Food Bank, and her 8 years of extraordinary leadership. Debbie and I have stood together through disaster response, through the darkest days of the pandemic, and in the fight to protect the Federal nutrition programs that many children and farmworker families depend on. When I served as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I invited Debbie to Washington to brief my colleagues on the unique food security challenges facing farmworkers in our valley, because their story deserved to be heard on the national stage. She has also been a trusted partner to my office, helping provide food assistance to Federal employees and families during shutdowns and supporting community conversations on food insecurity. Debbie never just simply distributed food. She built bridges, connecting Federal resources to local solutions, and ensuring no family in our district went without in moments of emergency or everyday hardship. As she moves on to lead Harvesters, serving 27 counties across Missouri and Kansas, our valley's loss becomes the Nation's gain. Mr. Speaker, I thank Debbie for her partnership, her compassion, and her unwavering commitment to the people in the Coachella Valley region and for her friendship. I am forever grateful.

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