In this Jan. 27 photo at the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem, Oregon Food Bank President Andrea Williams speaks alongside supporters of Senate Bill 611, which would establish a state program with the goal of helping people who can’t get federal food assistance through SNAP because of their immigration status.
Bryce Dole / OPB
Last month, the President of the Oregon Food Bank said the state is seeing the worst rates of hunger since the Great Depression.
Jenn Reida is the Executive Director of the FISH of Roseburg, which offers emergency food for people in Douglas County. She said in the past year they’ve gone from serving more than 750 families per month to over 1,000.
“We’re getting phone calls on a regular basis, asking if we can use our ‘Door Dash’ program to deliver food, because they can’t get here during our open hours, and we’ve got college students who can’t get here, so we’re trying to reach those niches,” she said.
Reida said they’re seeing more families with at least one working adult needing food assistance, and the nonprofit is also serving more elderly clients. So, FISH is opening on the last Saturday of each month, starting Feb. 22.
Reida said FISH doesn’t rely on federal funding, but because there may be a trickle-down effect, they’re working on new ways to bring in donations.
FISH has several innovative programs, including a neighborhood food donation service and offering community agencies to shop for their clients. For example, said Reida, teachers from Baker Charter Schools come to Roseburg to gather food for families and students in south Douglas County communities, including Myrtle Creek and Riddle.
Food for Lane County is preparing for an increase in need
Carolyn Stein, the Executive Director of Food for Lane County, says the nonprofit saw a 17% jump in the number of people visiting area food pantries from 2023 to 2024.
But if you go even further back, the increase becomes even starker.
“Between 2021 and 2024, we’ve seen a 101% increase in the amount of people that are visiting our pantries,” she said.
Stein said about 30% of Lane County residents need food assistance at some point over the course of a year. She said each of the past few years, Food for Lane County has purchased about $1 million worth of food, something they didn’t need to do 10 years ago.
Stein said the nonprofit is preparing for the potential of further increases in demand if—for example—SNAP benefits are cut, or if the Feeding America federal subsidy program is impacted. Stein said the Oregon Food Bank gets about 17% of its food supply from Feeding America, and distributes it to regional partners, including Food for Lane County.
Stein said because there’s no certainty about if or how federal programs might change, Food for Lane County is having to prepare for multiple what-if scenarios.
Karen Richards is a reporter and host with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
