WASHINGTON -- There's supposedly no such thing as a free lunch. But on Capitol Hill, there's an assortment of free snacks and drinks and, occasionally, dog food.
In some months visitors to the Arkansas delegation's offices can help themselves to Little Debbie snacks; other months visitors may leave with a 4-ounce bag of uncooked Riceland brand rice.
It all depends on which company has provided the free snacks each office offers in an Arkansas-shaped wicker basket.
Lawmakers from other states also hand out items.
House and Senate ethics rules allow legislators to accept products made in their home states that are of "minimal value" and are made for "promotional purposes."
But the offices can't solicit the gifts or request specific items, meaning lawmakers never know what they are going to get.
Arkansas' delegation most often receives products from Riceland Foods Inc., headquartered in Stuttgart; a Little Debbie snacks factory in Gentry; and a Frito-Lay facility in Jonesboro.
Mike Gloekler, spokesman for Little Debbie's parent company, McKee Foods, said the donations are a way for the delegations to promote what the states produce.
"It's just good government relations for us," Gloekler said. "We work very closely with the politicians from everywhere we are located."
He said what goodies are sent likely depends on what each local facility produces and what items are in season.
Arkansas' U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's office gets a box from Little Debbie every few months, spokesman Caroline Rabbitt said. On Thursday, the Republican congressman's office had a basketful of snacks from the company.
"They are always a conversation starter," Rabbitt said. "Even people from Arkansas, they have no idea [there is a plant in the state], so it brings attention to that."
Arkansas' U.S. Sen. John Boozman's spokesman Patrick Creamer said the Little Debbie products tend to go quickly.
"When we open the box, it's like, 'What did we get?'" he said. "It's like Christmas."
The Republican senator's office offered Fritos corn chips, Little Debbie Raisin Creme Pies and several granola bars Thursday afternoon.
Creamer said Boozman has an affinity for Little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies and Nutty Bars, so the staff knows to set some aside for him.
"Everybody's got one or two tucked away somewhere," he said, rifling through his desk drawers for his stash.
Arkansas' U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin's Chief of Staff Peter Comstock said the Republican lawmaker's office gets items only from Riceland.
"The rice crispy treats are a little more popular than the bags of rice," he said.
Comstock said Riceland sends a shipment every few months.
"Their folks will come by, and if they see we are running low, they'll just kind of volunteer [to send more]," he said.
Riceland spokesman Bill Reed said the company was giving out small bags of rice at trade shows and began sending them to the legislators' offices after seeing peanuts in the Georgia delegations' offices.
The bags are accompanied by cards that explain how important rice is to Arkansas' economy.
"The little 4-ounce rice bags are kind of nifty," he said. "What better way to say we grow rice here than a little sample bag of rice? It's really, I think, a good little educational tool."
But it's not instant rice, so it doesn't satisfy hunger pangs quickly.
So U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., suggested offering something rice-related that could be eaten immediately, Reed said.
"We started doing those [marshmallow treats] with the idea that we'll carry the educational message about rice being important to the state, being grown here and kids would probably be a little bit more prone to pick them up," he said. "They have proven to be quite effective in drawing attention and carrying the message."
Reed said the treats are made by a company out of state using Arkansas rice.
Creamer said the rice marshmallow squares sent by Riceland are popular with children and with staff members when they put in long hours.
"There's a number of days where at 4 o'clock those things are lifesavers," he said.
The companies that send products have changed over the years.
Arkansas' U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor's spokesman Lisa Ackerman said that years ago Tyson Foods Inc. sent dried chicken chunks, similar to jerky.
"People loved those. The interns, that would be their dinner," she said.
On Thursday, the Democratic lawmaker's office had a basket of barbecue Lays, nacho cheese Doritos and Fritos corn chips.
Mars Inc., which makes a variety of products and has a plant in Fort Smith, has even sent Cesar brand dog food samples, said Claire Burghoff, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.
"It's not as popular as the people food, obviously, because our constituents often can't carry that back through the airport," she said.
Last week, Womack's office had Riceland rice, Little Debbie Raisin Creme Pies and various granola bars.
How quickly the items disappear depends on how many school groups are visiting, what meetings are occurring nearby and how many interns the office has hired, staff members said.
Crawford likes to distribute the treats himself and takes a handful of the rice and marshmallow treats to meetings of his subcommittee, Chief of Staff Jonah Shumate said.
"He sends a rice crispy treat to every member of Congress when it's their birthday," Shumate said. "It's pretty fun."
Shumate said trading items among offices is common, and extra treats are often used as thank-yous for favors.
"A lot of times we'll offer our staff or interns if [another congressman's] staff is short [for] a tour that they've got or somebody's in town that they need some help with," he said.
Also, staff members for the Arkansas delegation said they have favorite offices of other lawmakers to visit for regional foods.
They recommended the office of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., for Tootsie Rolls, Illinois Nut & Candy products, Garrett's Popcorn and Jelly Belly snacks. Or the office of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., which offers pepperoni rolls. They are made of pepperoni and cheese wrapped in dough and were created in West Virginia for miners, his staff said.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., sometimes offers chocolate-covered almonds from his own almond ranch. His office also gives away flavored Blue Diamond almonds and Jelly Belly jelly beans, his staff said.
Metro on 08/24/2014