Oregon Food Bank COVID-19 Response

At Oregon Food Bank, we know we can't solve hunger without addressing the systemic inequities that cause food insecurity and poverty in the first place. Community organizing and civic engagement drive policy shifts and systems change on statewide campaigns like Food for All Oregonians (FFAO), a coalitional campaign led by Oregon Food Bank and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon (PHFO).

Food is a human right, and everyone in Oregon should have access to nutrition assistance regardless of where we were born. FFAO addresses unjust gaps in state food assistance policies that exclude huge portions of our communities based on immigration status and other arbitrary factors – roughly 62,000 people in Oregon. Our unique approach shortens the distance between the community members most impacted and elected officials, ensuring accountability to the people in our representative government. 

In addition to the public testimony from community leaders above, the FFAO campaign built power in the past year by:

• Convening 125+ organizations for our statewide coalition.
• Mobilizing 4,500+ actions (emails, pledges, testimony) supporting SB610, the Food for All Oregonians bill.
• Organizing 100+ attendees for our Advocacy Day.
• Supporting 300+ advocates to attend town halls and community forums with electeds in Ontario, Tillamook, Portland, Beaverton, Salem, Roseburg and online.
• Training 100+ leaders to provide oral testimony to legislators.  
• Facilitating 1,600+ Oregonians calling legislators to urge passing of SB610. 

Although SB610 was not passed in Oregon's 2023 legislative session, we know the arc of our fight bends toward justice; the FFAO Steering Committee voted on Sep. 26th on a long term strategy to reintroduce the FFAO legislation in the 2025 Long Session. We have built undeniable community power. And we will not stop advancing our cause until we’ve won Food for All Oregonians. 

Links:

• Learn more at our FFAO website