Since our first go-round of this blogathon, back in 2009, we've gone from one-in-eight Americans being hungry to one-in-six. Not a good trend.
In 2009, my state, Oregon, had the highest rate of childhood hunger of any in the US. They like to say that when you're at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but up. Unfortunately, that hasn't quite been true here.
And in fact, the title of this post itself isn't even accurate locally. In the US, 1 in 6 Americans do indeed face hunger. Here in Oregon, however, it's one in five.
This billboard is unfortunately no longer accurate for more than one reason, the least important of which being that we have a new governor...
Make that 86,000 hungry children. Just here in Oregon, alone.
Another school day begins in Julie Hobbs' first-grade class at Kelly Elementary School in southeast Portland, Oregon. But this isn’t just any day of the week. It’s Friday, the day before the weekend. She knows that for more than a few of the students in her classroom, instead of looking forward to a couple of days off to play with their friends, some will start to wonder where their next meal will come from. It is a cruel reality played out every Friday for countless boys and girls here and across the country.
While the federal government officially declared the recession over in 2009, the problem of childhood hunger is actually growing in severity. According to the USDA, one in four children in the U.S. is at risk of going hungry. That’s 8.4 million households with children under 18. In Oregon, more than 86,000 children under the age of 18 rely on emergency food boxes every month says the Oregon Food Bank.
In this land of plenty. Where food quite literally grows wild in our woods and along our sidewalks, in one of the most bountiful agricultural regions in the entire world. Anyone who's ever been to a farmers' market here in Portland can attest to that. Yet we still have over 750,000 Oregonians facing hunger every day here because... why?
I don't know. I can't answer that. I wish I could. Then maybe we could begin to solve it...
Feeding America locates food surplus and intercepts it on its way to the trash and distributes it to food banks all over the country. They do not buy most of their food, which is why they can provide meals so efficiently. They collect from vendors, grocery stores, and restaurants all over the country. Plenty of food is out there -- the problem is one of logistics, transportation, and distribution.
Because Feeding America redistributes surplus, they can provide healthy meals cheaply. Ninety five cents on every dollar that you donate here goes to food distribution. Donating to Feeding America is one of the most efficient ways that you can help aid hungry people.
Even $1 will help. Click on the icon above.
If you have the means, please donate to Feeding America by clicking on the box to the right. In addition to supplying food banks all over the country, they help hungry kids through their Backpack Program, Kids Cafe, Summer Food, and School Pantry programs. And this month, Ameriprise Financial will match your donation -- which means that every dollar you donate provides 16 meals to hungry people.
I wish we didn't have to do so good here...
There's a silver lining
in Oregon's record hunger problem — $5 million worth, in fact.
The state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp program, has received two awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its successful performance.
For the fifth consecutive year, SNAP was recognized for its high participation rate with a $2.6 million award. Almost 92 percent of Oregonians eligible for food stamps are enrolled.
Now if only so many of us didn't need food stamps.
The Oregon Food Bank reports it sent out more than 1,000,000 emergency food boxes for the year ending June 30, 2011.
That's 12 percent more boxes than the previous year.
Urban Gleaners are working here, and could also use some help...
Nearly 300 women donated more than $25,000 to JFGP’s Annual Campaign as they dined on an exquisite brunch at the Nines, heard of other sumptuous places to eat in Portland from famed restaurant reviewer Karen Brooks, watched chef Michael Karman prepare easy to replicate focaccia and heard how Tracy Oseran created Urban Gleaners to help feed Portland’s hungry. Vegetables from the centerpieces were donated to Urban Gleaners.
Noting that Oregon is one of the five hungriest states in the nation, Oseran said she had never thought much about people being hungry here -- “In Africa maybe, but not in this country" -- until she heard a report on NPR about a woman who rescued excess food from restaurants to feed the hungry in her city. Oseran and her children launched Urban Gleaners, which started collecting food from one restaurant for one recipient -- Blanchet House, which has been feeding the hungry since 1952 and now serves 800 meals a day. Now 40 volunteers pick up and deliver 40,000 pounds of food a month “to the neediest among us.”
Oseran noted that when Urban Gleaners added its first school as a recipient, the men at the Blanchet House began setting aside foods given to them that they thought would be a treat for the 280 kindergartners, 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line, at North Powellhurst Elementary.
“Sometimes people who have the least, do the most,” she said.
If you're a Portlander, Blanchet House can use your help, as well...
Adopting an acre can help end hunger in Oregon.
For the first time ever, distribution of emergency food boxes in Oregon and southwest Washington topped 1 million -
“I have never seen the demand for emergency food this high,” said Rachel Bristol, CEO, Oregon Food Bank. “Joblessness is taking a tremendous toll on our families. Hiring has stalled, keeping Oregon’s unemployment rate high. Low wages and limited benefits forced even people with jobs to seek emergency food. As a result, poverty has increased significantly. More than a half-million Oregonians now live below the poverty rate.” [...]
“I’ve been working in food-banking for 15 years,” said Niki Sampson, who heads Klamath/Lake Food Bank, “and, this year, for the first time, I’m scared. The need for food keeps going up. Food box distribution increased 12 percent last year.
“We’re seeing more people seeking food who are underemployed,” she said. “People tell us, ‘I’ve paid most of my bills, but I have only four bucks left until payday. I just need a little help feeding my kids.'"
In an average month, an estimated 260,000 people in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., ate meals from emergency food boxes. Of those, almost 86,000 were children.
In addition, soup kitchens served 3.9 million meals during the past year. And 98,000 people received supplemental food through other OFB Network agencies and programs.
“We were only able to meet this staggering demand for emergency food due to record levels of U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities and the tremendous generosity of the entire community: individuals, groups and businesses.”
Please help if you can!
All times Eastern!
Saturday, Oct 15:
9:00a -- noweasels
12:00p -- teacherken
3:00p -- TheFatLadySings
6:00p -- blue jersey mom
9:00p -- JayinPortland You Are Here!
Owls -- Timroff
Sunday, Oct 16
9:00a -- rb137
12:00p -- JanF
3:00p -- Aji
5:00p -- Patric Juillet
7:00p -- Chacounne
10:00p -- boatsie