GlobalGiving.org: Increase Food Security in Oregon

Happy New Year!

Sarah Schirmer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:26:58 GMT

Feeding hungry kids in Oregon

We surpassed the funding goal, to date!

Thank you for supporting the Increase Food Security project. We have been able to purchase and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food through your generous donations and company match efforts. According to our donation page we met and exceeded our fundraising project goal in December 2011! While this is great news, the need for emergency food continues to grow and there are so many loyal supporters that we didn't want this project to close and miss out on the relationship we are building.

Oregon Food Bank established our partnership with globalgiving in 2008 and launched this project in early 2009. We had no idea what type of interest the project would attract so our goal was somewhat nebulous. As momentum increased, we increased our goal…. A lot. We can hardly believe it but we were able to surpass the lofty $75,000 goal by December 2011. Again, Thank you! Rather than closing the project and making a note that it is fully funded, we are raising our goal and keeping the project, which is the core of our mission, alive and on your radar.

Our project goal for 2013 is to secure an additional $50,000.00 to increase food security in Oregon. Through our diverse network on globalgiving, we are confident we can achieve this lofty goal.

Thank you for all your support and interest in Oregon Food Bank.

Links:

Comment on childhood hunger in Oregon

Emergency Food Box Distribution exceeds l million

Sarah Schirmer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:07:00 GMT

Emergency Food Boxes

For the first time ever, distribution of emergency food boxes in Oregon and southwest Washington topped l million as growing levels of long-term unemployment forced more and more people to fall into poverty and to seek emergency food.

As daunting as the numbers may be, we did it. The Oregon Food Bank Network was able to meet the staggering demand for food due to record levels of USDA commodities and the generosity of the entire community.

The Oregon Food Bank Network of 20 regional food banks and 923 partner agencies provided a record 1,024,000 emergency food boxes- a 12% increase over the previous year- to families in need from July 1, 2010 to June 30,2011. Since the beginning of the Great Recession, food box distribution has increased 30 percent. The OFB Network now distributes almost a quarter-of- a- million more food boxes annually than it did before the recession.

In tough economic times, helping people in need is more important than ever. It will continue to take the support of the entire community to meet the growing demand for food. Thank you for your continued support in our effort to eliminate hunger and its root causes.

Please note: On October 19, GlobalGiving.org is matching at 30% all online donations up to $1,000 per donor per project! There is $100,000 available in matching funds starting at 12:01 am EDT.

Links:

Press Release

Paying the price for healthy food

Sarah Schirmer — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:49:49 GMT

Adding Fresh Produce to the Mix!

It's a catch-22 reality for anyone who is trying to eat healthy on a tight budget: the healthier the food, the higher the cost. According to a 2010 study published in the journal 'Psychological Science,' the cost of healthy food, including fruits and vegetables, has increased almost 200 percent since 1983. The cost of unhealthy foods, on the other hands, has increased at a much slower rate. The issue is challenging food banks across the nation to examine their sources of food and donor dollars to look for economical ways to increase the nutritional value of the food that is made available to clients. With your support we are able to improve the nutritional content of emergency food boxes. Thank you!

In response to this need, Oregon Food Bank is putting strategies and programs in place to bring healthier food to more people- a trend that is echoed by food banks across the nation. These include our Learned Garden and Nutrition Education Cooking Matters classes, community food security outreach and our emphasis on securing more perishable food like fruits and vegetables.

"We are doing everything we can to become experts with the distribution of perishables," says Mike Moran, OFB's food resource development manager. "Thanks to more partnerships with the agricultural community, retailers through out Fresh Alliance program and expanded storage capacity OFB procured and distributed 57 percent more fresh produce to communities throughout Oregon this year. And we want to increase that year-over-year- it's our most aggressive growth goal."

Everyone- regardless of income level- deserves the right to eat a nutritious meal. And with resourceful, strategic thinking by our partners, donors and staff, Oregon Food Bank is working hard to ensure clients have access to food that will nourish their body, as well as their future.

Meet someone who has benefitted from your generous support

Sarah Schirmer — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:35:25 GMT

Wesley

Imagine that your family loses part or all of its income and suddenly you find that you can’t pay all of your bills in full. You change your lifestyle, use your savings, sell your assets and use your dwindling credit to make ends meet. You face choices no one should ever have to make because of your limited budget. You choose toilet paper over laundry soap, electricity over food, and life-saving medication for a family member over essential, preventative medical care for yourself. Sometimes you skip meals so your children have enough to eat.

Too many of our neighbors face choices like these every day. The goal of Oregon Food Bank’s annual Voices project is to bring attention to some of their stories. In October and November of 2010, more than 50 people attended our focus groups in Albany, Beaverton, Cottage Grove, Glide and Portland.

“I got laid off at the beginning of this year after I was one of their best employees for six years. I’ve put out hundreds of resumes and gotten some interviews, but I haven’t been hired yet. I raise a little girl and it’s been hard. We got to the point where we were eating one meal a day. My friend told me about this food pantry and it has really helped. Now
we’re at two or three meals a day.”
Wesley. Portland, OR.

With your support, people like Welsey and his daughter are being helped by the Oregon Food Bank Network. Thank you for your continued support ...because no one should be hungry.

Links:

Voices 2011

Hunger Hurts Kids

Sarah Schirmer — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:37:32 GMT

Kids volunteering at OFB

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the tremendous outpouring these past few months. Your financial donations help us meet the demand for emergency food.

An estimated 240,000 people eat from emergency food boxes via the Oregon Food Bank Network in an average month. Did you know that 33% of those receiving food are children? So, in an average month, 79,200 children are eating from an emergency food box. Children who are hungry get sick more often and have more trouble learning in school. And childhood hunger takes a tragic toll on families and communities.

In 1971 school-aged children decided to help their peers and created an event named Project Second Wind. This is a fun, food drive competition between schools to see which school can raise the most pounds per student. Since its creation, Project Second Wind has raised 6 million pounds of food! This food drive runs in late February and early March to provide a second wind of food after the holidays. Will you help in this effort by making a donation today?

Our mission is to end the root causes of hunger and with your support we continue to aim for that goal through education, advocacy, and food distribution. Thank you!

Lastest USDA hunger report released

Sarah Schirmer — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:20:26 GMT

Recession takes its toll on families

Latest USDA hunger report shows continuing hunger crisis in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (Nov. 15, 2010) – Hunger in Oregon continued to hover far above the national average as the Great Recession battered Oregon’s economy, according to the 2009 hunger report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Oregon, once again, remains among the top five hungriest states in the nation, as it was last year.
About 13.9 percent of households – more than half-a-million Oregonians – suffered food insecurity.
And 6.6 percent of households – more than 225,000 individuals -- suffer very low food security – or hunger.

Food-insecure households had difficulty providing enough food for their family because they lacked resources. About a third of food-insecure households suffer very low food security (hunger), which means they cut or skipped meals, sometimes for whole days, because they didn’t have enough money or other resources for food.

“No one should be hungry,” said Rachel Bristol, CEO, Oregon Food Bank. “Hunger affects a child’s ability to learn and a worker’s ability to be productive. Ultimately, it affects everyone in our society. Working together, we can eliminate hunger and its root causes,” said Bristol. “It’s not only the right thing to do, it makes economic sense.”

“The bad economy has taken a hard toll on Oregonians. The unemployment rate remains high, along with home foreclosures and other indicators that families are struggling,” said Patti Whitney-Wise, executive director, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. “This report shows us that Oregonians are choosing to go without food to pay for needs such as housing, healthcare and childcare.”

These numbers are the harsh reality but with your assistance Oregon Food Bank has been able to distribute a record number of pounds of food for hunger relief. Thank you for supporting our efforts ...because no one should be hungry.

Expanding the community food system

Sarah Schirmer — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:33:19 GMT

Garden Volunteer

Dear Friends,

Did you know that Oregon Food Bank was created in the early 1980s when Oregon was in a bad recession? The economic downturn was fueled by timber mill closures and government layoffs; unemployment was at 12 percent. At the time, we served 200,000 people annually. Today, unemployment in the state remains above 10 percent. And, the OFB Network distributed more than 900,000 emergency food boxes last year in Oregon and Clark County, Wash. The demand for emergency food has grown over the years but, fortunately, so have our programs and donations of food, money and volunteer time.

Donors, like you, have allowed us to meet the demand for emergency food through specific product purchases to round out the emergency food boxes. During the spring/summer we also supplement the non-perishable goods with produce from gardens throughout the state.

As reliance on the OFB Network has grown we have had to work strategically to meet the needs. One area that is flourishing is our Learning Garden program. Oregon Food Bank directly manages two gardens that not only provide produce but also teach the community how to be self-reliant. "The though economy has renewed people's interest in gardening," says Rebeca Siplak, OFB Learning Garden program coordinator. "I'm excited for the future of the program as more and more people learn to garden. Each family that can grow its own food brings us one step closer to creating a strong, local, sustainable food system, eventually eliminating hunger."

OFB's garden education programs address the root causes of hunger through improved nutrition, community food security and self-reliance. For many clients, the produce they receive from the Oregon Food Bank Network local partner agencies is their only source of produce. They just can't afford to buy it at the grocery store.

Our mission is to end the root causes of hunger and with your support we continue to aim for that goal through education, advocacy, and food distribution. Thank you!

Need Remains High

Sarah Schirmer — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:30:51 GMT

Food distributed to agencies

Despite reports that the economic contraction is easing, partner agencies are serving as many clients now as they did when the need rose two years ago. In Oregon, the jobless rate last month was 10.6 percent. Washington state saw 9.5 percent. The picture in Clark County, a county the Oregon Food Bank Network serves, the picture was much worse. The unadjusted jobless rate from February 2009- March 2010 was 12.3 percent. Across the Columbia River in Multnomah County, the rate was 10.3.

Partner Agencies, those serving the people in need, are grateful to donors like you, who help ease the strain of the increased need for emergency food. Andrea Walker, chairman and executive director of One Life, an Oregon Food Bank partner agency, says the pantry has enough food to serve its clients, but the need for food assistance in the area remains great. And Timothy Norris, assistant shelter coordinator for City Team Ministries, says that whether clients "come from the street or nearby housing, the number of people seeking help is up." But, he says, the agency is doing well and has survived the economic downturn, thanks to the community and food grants from OFB." Food Grants are made possible through donations on this site. Thank you!

"We anticipate that people in our service area will feel the effects of this recession for the next several years," said Rachel Bristol, OFB CEO. "It takes time for people to get back on their feet once they've lost their jobs, their health care and their homes. We need your continued support."

Thank you for supporting the community through food purchase. Oregon Food Bank could not do what we do without your support.

Links:

New website!

Thank you!

Sarah Schirmer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:38:56 GMT

Volunteers packing food

Hunger, once again, is on the rise in Oregon and southwest Washington. The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture hunger report, analyzing Census Bureau data, shows Oregon's food insecurity and hunger rates increased significantly. Oregon now holds the unenviable position of having the second-highest hunger rate in the nation. In these challenging times, we are especially grateful for your heart-warming generosity. In December 2009, we were able to purchase 12,000 pounds of most needed foods due to your contributions. Thank you.

Links:

OFB website

OFB Network distributes unprecendented levels of emergency food

sschirmer — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:27:39 GMT

Community Coming Together

High unemployment and growing foreclosures forced a record number of people in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., to seek emergency food in fiscal year 2008-09. Distribution of emergency food boxes throughout the Oregon Food Bank Network skyrocketed to historic highs, according to the OFB Network's annual year-end report (July 1, 2008-June 30,2009) released 9/10/09. Distribution of emergency food boxes increased more than 13% from 792,000 to 897,000 in 2008-09- an annual increase of 105,000 additional emergency food boxes. "This is unprecedented," CEO, Rachel Bristol emphasizes. "It's by far the largest number of emergency food boxes the OFB Network has ever distributed in a single fiscal year." Throughout the OFB Network, agencies reported seeing many, many new faces... people seeking help for the first time in their lives... people who previously had good jobs and never thought they would need help. "We ask for the community's continued support," Bristol says. "September is national Hunger Action Month, and we encourage everyon eto donate food, funds and time to help fight hunger."

Increased needs during summertime

SSchirmer — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:57:39 GMT

The summer months are a trying time for families whose children receive meals at school. There are several summertime programs that offer lunches but they may be difficult for families to get to so they turn to the Oregon Food Bank to supplement their cupboards. The community is aware of the increased need and are responding with generous donations of high protein items as well as the bounty from their gardens. Local farmers help the community by providing some of their harvest to Oregon Food Bank. Many people are holding independent food drives in conjunction with their summertime celebrations to help feed their neighbors. Demand for emergency food is in line with the economic indicators but together we can make a difference because no one should be hungry. Thank you for your support!