Update: Unprecedented food insecurity emergency triggers community, state response

LANE COUNTY – Communities across the country are concerned about their own health and food security, and that of their neighbors, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s most extensive food program, announced it planned to freeze Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments starting Nov. 1, saying it could no longer continue funding the program due to the government shutdown.

On Monday, Nov. 3, the Administration announced that it will provide partial funding for SNAP in response to two court rulings that mandated the continuation of the food assistance program. However, details regarding the amount beneficiaries will receive and the timeline for when the funds will be available remain uncertain.

Over the weekend, Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle held a news conference in Eugene to emphasize the urgency of addressing hunger, especially among low-income children and seniors. The meeting called for bipartisan support to release these funds and protect vulnerable families.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation that would allow grocery stores nationwide to voluntarily offer discounts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients whenever a government shutdown prevents them from getting their full benefits, if they choose to. 

Introduction of the Emergency Relief for Hungry Families Act follows reporting earlier this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is trying to block grocery stores from offering discounted prices to SNAP recipients in their communities, including in Roseburg, where USDA instructed Grocery Outlet to stop offering discounts. 

Legislative text is here.

Why it matters

SNAP is one of the nation’s largest social safety nets, serving about one in eight Americans – nearly 42 million people total – and costs about $8 billion per month nationally. In Lane County alone, 75,000 residents receive these benefits, among them an estimated 22,000 children and 12,000 seniors.

At the same time, federal changes to SNAP eligibility rules mean that many more people who rely on SNAP are no longer eligible to receive benefits. Of 750,000 Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits, 331,000 will no longer get them.

“SNAP benefits are an essential part of how families, seniors, and other neighbors provide for their families,” Carolyn Stein, executive director, stated in an Oct. 31 release. “In the ensuing days, we have prepared to mobilize in response to the anticipated increase in need. While we’ve learned … that federal judges have ordered the USDA to release SNAP funds, it is unclear whether this ruling will be appealed, and when or if benefits will be available to families.”

The process of loading SNAP cards, which involves steps by state and federal government agencies and partners, can take up to two weeks in some states, according to a Nov. 3 report by Oregon Public Broadcasting, which notes that the average monthly benefit is usually about $190 per person.

Stein noted that the community’s response since the news broke has been overwhelming, saying, “Everyone at Food for Lane County has been humbled by the outpouring of community support over these last few days.”

As a result of that generosity, Stein stated that Food for Lane County has quickly mobilized to respond to this crisis and is working with suppliers to deliver two truckloads of protein and two truckloads of other pantry staples.

She said that community support allowed FFLC to purchase and distribute this additional food, and they plan to buy at least six more truckloads of food between now and the end of the calendar year to meet increased need during the holiday season.

FFLC has 11 rural Mobile Pantry distributions planned, including holiday food distributions to areas with limited food pantry services, and is working with pantry and meal site partners to plan additional distributions in areas of greatest need.

“Our warehouses, our trucks, our dedicated staff – all of these essential building blocks are powered by (the community’s) generosity,” Stein stated, adding that an anonymous donor will match donations up to $100,000 as part of their holiday matching challenge.

Springfield springs into action

Lorri Perreault, executive director of Catholic Community Services of Lane County, sent out a “Food S.O.S.” urgent appeal for $500,000. As Lane County’s largest distributor of free food, the CCS food pantry noted that its resources are “being stretched beyond capacity.”

Catholic Community Sharing Food Pantry at 1025 G St. in Springfield last September. PHOTOS BY McKENZIE DAYS

Perreault stated that demand for food has doubled since 2022; food insecurity has risen from 10% to 14%; and grocery prices are up while food donations are down.

“We urgently need the community’s help to avert a hunger catastrophe when SNAP ends. Every $1 donated stocks our shelves to feed those most in need in the difficult weeks ahead,” she said.

Willamette Farm & Food Coalition (WFFC) in Springfield is hosting its annual “Fill Your Pantry” event on Sunday, Nov 9, at the Lane Events Center Agricultural Pavilion, 796 W. 13th Ave. in Eugene. This year, the coalition is also launching a campaign to raise $300,000 to sustain its food access programs during a funding gap.

“With federal food assistance programs under stress due to the ongoing shutdown, local families and farms will feel the impact – making our event and campaign all the more urgent,” stated Faye Sofranko, president of the coalition.

Struggles, support in South Lane

Creswell Food Pantry, which recently recruited nine new volunteers, served 131 households on Oct. 29 alone. Also, on Oct. 23, volunteers made 284 servings of taco soup in one morning.

“These numbers are comparable to or higher than those during the pandemic,” stated Susan Blachnik, food pantry manager.

Generosity still seeps through. Blachnik noted that on Oct. 30, a donor went to the Creswell Bi-Mart and filled an entire car trunk with food to donate to CFP.

Cottage Grove Friends of Democracy and First Presbyterian Church are sponsoring a community food drive throughout November, and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market at 200 Gateway Blvd. in Cottage Grove also has a barrel at the store for donations straight from the checkout line.

According to Lise Colgan, Latino family advocate/development coordinator at Community Sharing Program, demand for food boxes nearly doubled in recent days.

“This, combined with earlier this year’s reductions in support for food programs nationwide, is creating a ‘perfect storm’ of food instability,” Colgan stated.

Help is needed to promote this event and coordinate the collection and delivery of foodstuffs. Participation by organizations – service clubs, churches, other social groups – is especially welcome, Colgan stated.

Other organizations are partnering, like Saginaw Vineyard, which has partnered with Blackberry Food-Co-Op at the Cottage Grove Public Market, to offer a glass of wine for a penny in exchange for nonperishable food items.

Similarly, Rosebud Consignment at 814 E Main St. in Cottage Grove is offering a discount when shoppers bring in nonperishable food items.

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