Volume 167, No. 85, covering the 1st Session of the 117th Congress (2021 – 2022), was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO BRIAN RIENDEAU” mentioning Mitch McConnell was published in the Senate section on pages S2542-S2543 on May 17.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators’ salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO BRIAN RIENDEAU
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, throughout a year full of new and difficult challenges, the greater Louisville region has been fortunate to have my friend Brian Riendeau helping lead the response. As the executive director of Dare to Care food bank, Brian has been instrumental in delivering tens of millions of quality and nutritious meals each year around this community. His vision and talent support families when they need it most, and we owe him a major debt of gratitude. This summer, Brian will bring to a close his 12 years of remarkable leadership at Dare to Care. I would like to take a moment today to recognize his accomplishments and thank him for his vast contributions to Kentucky.
This last year wasn’t the first time I’ve watched Brian deliver for Kentucky. Before we worked together in his current role, I had the privilege of having Brian on my Senate staff. For 5 years, he was an important adviser on legislation and Kentucky-focused priorities. While I was sorry to see him leave my office, I was pleased to know he was headed to the Bluegrass. He spent more than a decade in corporate leadership at one of Louisville’s biggest employers before dedicating himself full-time to combating food insecurity.
In 2009, Brian joined Dare to Care with a plan. He wanted to expand the food bank’s physical footprint and its reach. Founded in Louisville more than 50 years ago to address a troubling rise of malnutrition, Dare to Care partners with nearly 300 local organizations to promote healthy and active lifestyles across the community. Brian grew the staff to 60-strong and developed a strategy to further invest in Louisville and the surrounding region. In the last few years, he completed a $7 million-plus capital campaign to build a new community kitchen to serve even more Kentuckians.
I had the opportunity to see Brian’s operation firsthand last July. In the first months of the pandemic, demand for Dare to Care’s help jumped around 35 percent. Brian and his team overcame supply-chain disruptions, implemented social distancing and other medical precautions, and continued serving those in need. In fact, once Brian’s team stocked its shelves, Dare to Care was even able to help other food banks in Kentucky fill their own. Brian’s forward-thinking and commitment to service helped countless Kentucky families during the hardest days of this pandemic. I am so grateful to him and his team for working around the clock to feed Kentucky.
Dare to Care is well-positioned to continue fulfilling its mission for years to come, and Brian’s outstanding leadership helped get it there. Whatever comes next for Brian and his wife Judy, I know I speak for his many admirers in wishing him all the best. I would like to express my personal gratitude for his years of dedication to Kentucky, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to join me in congratulating Brian for his many successes.
____________________
