A woman receives bagged lunches for her children at curbside from Creswell Food 4 Kids, an organization that aims to reduce childhood hunger locally by providing child-friendly, easy-to-make foods for weekends and school breaks when kids aren’t able to eat free or reduced-price meals at school.
With the number of businesses that are temporarily closed continuing to rise; more people out of work, often without paid leave; an unprecedented run of panic-buying that quickly empties store shelves; and more and more people self-isolating in the wake of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, food insecurity is – and is expected to be for some time – a growing problem for many area households of all sizes and ages.
The pandemic itself may not discriminate, but in terms of social service needs it disproportionately impacts seniors and low-income households – especially those with children who regularly ate one or two meals a day at school but are now home because of school closures.
As a result, people who were already food-insecure are being joined in lining up at area food pantries by those once teetering on the brink of food insecurity who have been tipped over it by measures to ”flatten the curve” of COVID-19 infection.
Fortunately, there are local programs and agencies doing their best to help – with some programs now delivering services at curbside or via front-door delivery, to help protect customers and volunteers. But many organizations attempting to ”curb” hunger have canceled annual fundraising events or moved them online and are seeing food and monetary donations plummet at a time when need is skyrocketing.
The services listed below are available to residents of Creswell and/or Cottage Grove. While efforts have been made to ensure that this information is correct, note that things are changing rapidly as government and public health organizations update recommendations regarding COVID-19. For the most up-to-date information regarding availability and delivery of services, contact the agencies/programs directly.
And don’t forget to reach out to elderly, disabled or homebound relatives or neighbors via phone, email or Facebook to make sure they have the essentials they need, such as food and prescription medications. Some of the food services listed below allow seniors to fill out proxy paperwork permitting a relative, friend or neighbor to pick up food for them, and the Senior and Disabled resources listed can help put vulnerable, high-risk people in touch with the services they need.
