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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.
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"S usannah brings 13 years o f
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in fo o d -b an k in g in th e n atio n al
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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
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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 .
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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.