ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY)--  Hunger and food insecurity are widespread in the United States. In 2020, almost 14 million households, 10.5 percent of the population are food insecure.

Yesterday for the first time in 50 years the Biden Administration hosted a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health with the goal of ending hunger by the year 2030.  Members of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier were in attendance at the conference working to stamp out hunger locally.

"One of the biggest things I've taken away from this t conference today is the call to action. We really have to take action on this if we're going to have no one hunger in 2030," Anne Lee, Community Advocate Graduate with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier said.

Many attendees at this conference shared strategies on steps they are looking to take to end hunger.  Including Anne Lee with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier who had the opportunity to speak with members of the USDA about the increased need, she is seeing in the community.

"We need more affordable accessible food in the communities, we need more money in our pockets as families and as parents to feed our children. We need better meals at schools for our children we need free meals and free breakfast for our kids all year long. We live in AMERICA We can produce enough food to feed our entire country and then some but yet we are failing at it," Lee said.

One of the steps the government is taking is speaking with the people who are doing the work on the ground locally and who know what's needed locally. That's why it was important for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier to be there.

"We are hearing all of the great ideas that they have planned and the things they would like to have accomplished. To streamline the process to apply for WIC and SNAP and other benefits that are out there. They are also out there really trying to take action on the things that people need in your communities. They are talking to people like me that have lived experiences getting to know what we actually need," Lee said.

The Food Bank of the Southern Tier received increased funding from the Department of Health which has helped their network of food pantries get more food. They received nearly $2 million additional dollars through the state's budget.