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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2012)
Page 14_____________________________________ <»»• ^ o rtla n h (©bserüer__________________ October 3. 2012 Need for Food ‘Disturbingly’ High Oregon poverty rate has people strained F or the second year in a row, O regon Food Bank agencies shelled out m ore than 1 m illion food boxes to fam ilies in need in O regon and C lark C ounty, W ash. A ccording to the U.S. C ensus B ureau's m ost recent data, O regon's poverty rate is grow ing. M ore than a half-m illion O regonians now live below the poverty rate o f $23,050 for a fam ily o f four. A nd one in five O regonians participate in SN A P (S upplem ental Nutri tion A ssistance Program , previously know n as food stam ps). "R equests for em ergency food stubbornly continue to clim b," said Janeen W adsw orth, interim C E O o f O regon Food Bank. Food box distri bu tio n has increased 41 percent V ◄ FOOD I ► 1 OREGON' bank ! since the beginning o f the 2008 re cession and is up 10 percent from 2010. But unem ploym ent isn't the only driver, said W adw orth. “ U n d erem ploym ent and lim ited benefits have forced people w ith jo b s to seek em ergency food,” she said. T he high cost o f food, gas, utilities and rent m akes it even m ore difficult for fam i lies to c o v er basic expenses. "T h e d o w n tu rn in th e lo c a l eco n o m y has brought m any new faces from all w alks o f life to receive services for the first tim e in their lives,” said M arlin M artin, director o f the C C A Food B ank in C latsop T o m ake up the d ifference and to C ounty. provide fo r the grow ing n eed d u r A typical em ergency food box ing that year, O FB d ipped into its contains a three-to-five day supply reserve fund for the first tim e to o f groceries. O n average, recipient purchase m ore food for d istribu households turn to pantries about tion, said W adsw orth. four tim es a year. "Even so, o u r netw ork is strain A lto g e th e r, the O reg o n F o o d ing to m eet the u n p reced en ted re B ank N etw ork, w hich consists o f 20 quests fo r em erg en cy fo o d ,” she regional food banks and 945 partner said. T he p roposed cuts to SN A P ag encies, provided a record 83.4 (included in the farm bill) w ould m illion pounds o f f o o d - equivalent greatly increase the nu m b er o f O r to m ore than 2,000 sem i-truck loads egonians seeking em ergency food o r about 64 m illion m eals. and w ould sim ply o v erw h elm our A t the sam e tim e that lines at netw ork.” food pantries co ntinued to grow , W adsw orth asks C ongress and resources are dow n. the com m unity for help. "W e ask for “ D istribution o f em ergency food y o u r co n tin u ed support as w e w ork in o u r county continues at d istu rb to elim inate h u n g er and its root ingly high rates at a tim e w hen ac c a u se s." quiring resources is m ore ch allen g C o n sid er w riting y o u r U.S. sena ing than ev er,” M artin said. to r or rep resen tativ e and tell them U SD A com m odities to food banks we need to m aintain SN A P, she said. in O regon dropped alm ost 60 percent F o r m o re in fo r m a tio n , v is it - from 18 million to 8.5 million pounds oregonfoodbank.org o r call 503-419- - during the last fiscal year. 4170. Food Bank Leader Hired O regon Food B ank's B oard o f D irectors has appointed Susannah M organ, executive director o f Food Susannah Morgan to lead Oregon Food Bank, serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash. B ank o f A laska, as c h ie f executive The board selected M organ after o fficer o f the O regon Food B ank, a national search, follow ing the re- effective N ov. 5. tirem ent o f R achel B ristol. DO YOU HAVE HEART DISEASE? Suffer from angina? Lack stamina? Shortness of breath? I f you said yes to any o f these questions, EECP® m ay be the help you need. * "S usannah brings 13 years o f extensive experience in the n o n profit secto r and strong leadership in fo o d -b an k in g in th e n atio n al arena," said A rnie G ardner, chair, O FB B oard o f D irectors. "She has the passion, vision and skills to build on O F B 's successes and to m ove O FB forw ard during a tim e o f trem endous n eed and opportunity. W e are thrilled to w elcom e h er to O regon F ood B ank and look fo r w ard to introducing h er to o ur co m m unity." "I am v ery e x c ite d to jo in the o u ts ta n d in g O re g o n F o o d B an k te a m ," s a id M o rg a n . " O re g o n F o o d B an k an d th e statew id e O FB N e tw o rk o f re g io n a l fo o d b an k s a n d p a r t n e r a g e n c ie s a re r e sp e c te d n a tio n a lly fo r th e ir h o lis tic a p p ro a c h to e n d in g h u n g e r. I am h o n o re d th a t I w ill h a v e the o p p o rtu n ity to u se m y c o m m it m en t to c o lla b o ratio n an d m y d e d i c a tio n to in n o v a tiv e so lu tio n s to p u rsu e th e fig h t a g a in s t h u n g e r in O re g o n ." U nder M organ's leadership, Food B ank o f A lask a and its netw ork tripled food distribution, m ade a sig nificant im p act on ch ild h u n g er by becom ing the largest sponsor o f the S um m er F ood Service P ro g ram in A laska, estab lish ed A laska's first m o b ile fo o d p a n try a n d b u ilt A laska's first an ti-h u n g er advocacy program . Food benefits to increase for some EECP® (Enhanced Exter nal Counterputea- U m )te • Clinically proven, non invasive treatment for angina and/or congestive heart failure WWWillCuOCPa I • FDA-approved apd covered •EECP® is performed on referral by Medicare and most insurance and in conjunction with your providers physician. • Being offered by leading medical centers including the MAYO CLINIC. JOHNS-HOPKINS, and in Portland at Heart Centers Of America Medical Director Dr. Ronald Schultz, MD is a board-certified cardiologist and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology with over 30 years of experience and is the founder of Heart Centers of America An Authorized ttC P * ProvMe» As o f Oct. 1, some households qualified for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, may see a very small increase in their monthly benefits. Every year the federal government makes changes to the standards used in determining a person’s eligibility to receive benefits. This year, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services has increased the current maximum deductions allowed for utilities and shelter. Therefore, clients with deductions falling between the old and new caps will see their monthly benefits increase by up to $3. Clients do not need to take any action to see how the new standards might affect them. Program eligibility requirements remain the same. The state will automatically recalculate cases and increase benefits for those who qualify. Any additional amounts will show on the client's October issuance of benefits.
