(WASHINGTON, November 19, 2009) -- Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector, issued the following statement on the Joint Hearing on “Food Banks and Front-Line Charities: Unprecedented Demand and Unmet Need” held this morning by the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittees on Oversight and Income Security and Family Support:

“Today's Joint Hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittees on Oversight and Income Security and Family Support highlighted the tremendous work nonprofits and foundations are doing to assist the rising number of people who are in dire need of basic services in these difficult times. We commend witnesses -- IS Board Chairman Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, and IS members Candy Hill, senior vice president for social policy of Catholic Charities USA, and actor Scott Wolf who is testifying on behalf of Feeding America -- for their eloquent statements about the challenges facing nonprofits as they struggle to meet enormous demands with extremely strained resources. As witness John Stephenson of the J. Bulow Campbell Foundation in Atlanta pointed out , our nation's philanthropic foundations are an important source of support for this work, as are the many generous Americans who donate time and financial resources to charitable causes.

We thank Chairmen Lewis and McDermott and Ranking Members Boustany and Linder for drawing attention to this tragic issue, and join them in calling on all Americans to support the invaluable work of our nation's nonprofits, especially in this season of giving thanks. We hope that Congress will continue to encourage this generosity by ensuring that important tax incentives for charitable contributions, including the IRA charitable rollover and donations of food inventory, do not expire at the end of this year.

We are pleased to share the letter to Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rangel, and Ways and Means Ranking Member Camp, signed by over 230 nonprofit organizations around the country encouraging Congress to continue to allow older Americans to make charitable contributions from their Individual Retirement Account holdings without suffering adverse tax consequences. Without action by Congress, this valuable incentive will no longer be available after December 31, 2009.”

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 550 charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community.