Writings on Resilience by Carla A. Wise

Tag: food aid

  • A little more about food aid

    A little more about food aid

    In my last post, I promised to share more about food aid. I was hoping to get a better handle on how the network of food assistance programs in our community works, how much it alleviates hunger, and how much it fails to do. Although I’ve attended food security meetings, read articles, had conversations with experts, and started volunteering at the local food bank, I’ve only been partly successful. I know more about the programs that exist, but I can’t really say I have any idea exactly how many folks are struggling to get fed. Yet it’s not an exaggeration to say that exploring the food security network more deeply changed the way I see our community and our country.

    Here are some things I learned: both poverty and food assistance vary tremendously across states, regions, cities and neighborhoods, resulting in dramatically unequal hunger and access to food aid depending on where you live. Here in Oregon and my home town of Corvallis there is an often unseen world of folks working to get everyone the food they need. I discovered an amazing bunch of committed people striving to give those facing hunger access to food. But the uneven nature of food assistance, the cost of living, employment opportunities, state governments, and other factors dramatically affect the prevalence of food security across the country. Arkansas is the hungriest state, with 18.9% of the population experiencing low or very low food security. The rate in Oregon is 10.3%.

    I also learned that the network of food aid in the U.S. has several components. There is the food bank system, which operates throughout the country. Food banking began in 1964, partly as a way to distribute surplus food the government was buying from farmers. Today, food banks collect, store, and distribute donated, purchased and rescued food, and are funded mostly through donations and grants. They provide food to shelters, food pantries, meal sites, agencies, food assistance programs, and various charities.

    Then there are three national anti-hunger programs funded by the federal government; SNAP, WIC, and the School Lunch Program. SNAP provides low-income individuals and families with funds to buy groceries, and serves an average of 41.7 million Americans a month (12.5% of the population). SNAP is administered by the states, who screen for eligibility and distribute benefits. State programs to administer SNAP vary tremendously: Oregon does a better job of getting SNAP benefits to those who qualify than most states: as a result, almost 18% of Oregonians received SNAP in 2024.

    WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, focuses on maternal health and early childhood nutrition for women, infants and children at or close to the poverty line. WIC provides monthly benefits to purchase specific foods like milk, eggs, whole grains, produce, and baby food. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides free or reduced-price lunches at school for children from low-income families.

    Some communities have additional programs and resources to get folks fed. In our area, there are food pantries, gleaning groups, walk-in meal sites, double up food bucks for SNAP card holders to use at farmer’s markets, and other informal ways people get fed. A Corvallis non-profit called Stone Soup serves free meals 7 days a week, in partnership with two area churches, no questions asked. In 2024, they served approximately 125 meals per day, all 365 days of the year.

    Yet even with this web of programs and funding mechanisms trying to address hunger, many people still don’t have enough to eat. According to USDA’s most recent annual household food security survey, 18 million households (12.2% of the population) reported low or very low food security. The Republican’s reconciliation bill cut SNAP funding by $186 Billion and added stricter work and other requirements which will result in an estimated 2.4 million Americans losing food aid. These changes will inevitably result in more people going hungry across this country.

    This blog is about local resilience efforts in the face of a destabilizing world. So I want to leave you with this: in the face of Trump’s efforts to dismantle the federal food safety net, I’ve discovered many wonderful folks striving to help people in our community get fed. These people welcome volunteers, money, and help. Being part of local food assistance work feels really good. Here are a few links to explore if you’d like to donate time or money:

    Linn Benton Food Share

    Benton County Food Resources (PDF)

  • Shining a light on hunger

    Shining a light on hunger

    Just before 9 AM on a Tuesday in mid-November, I pull in to the gravel parking lot of a green warehouse in Tangent, Oregon. This building belongs to Linn-Benton Food Share, which distributes food at no cost to folks throughout Linn and Benton Counties. I’m here to volunteer to pack food into around 450 boxes, which we then load onto pallets so they can be distributed to organizations such as food pantries and gleaning groups throughout our two-county region.

    There are 5 new volunteers here today, along with an equal number of veterans. I’m impressed right away by how well-organized the operation is. From the layout of the food to the printed food lists and directions from staff and experienced volunteers, it’s carefully designed to run smoothly.  Within a few minutes, I’m fully trained and packing food. The tasks of labeling boxes, filling them with the proper items, closing them up and loading them on pallets based on where they’ll go goes quickly, even with so many new folks. After our 2 hour shift I admire the neatly stacked cubes of full boxes on pallets ready to make there way out to fill peoples’ bellies.

    This warehouse has been here for many years, but this is my first time inside. I’m not proud to admit this, but I hadn’t focused all that much on hunger in our community until the Trump administration tried to withhold SNAP food assistance during the recent 43 day government shutdown. The many ways that decision rippled through our town, state, and country really got my attention. The enormity of the role SNAP plays for so many in our community woke me up to all I don’t usually see.

    According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, about 757,000 people in Oregon, or about 1 in 6 people, rely on SNAP benefits to supplement their food budget. While SNAP provides support for folks to purchase food at participating grocery stores and Farmers’ Markets, Linn-Benton Food Share distributes food directly through a network of food pantries, meal sites, gleaning groups, and agencies. To get SNAP benefits, you must apply and meet eligibility requirements and income limits. However, no proof of income or documentation is required to receive food through the food bank system Linn-Benton Food Share is part of. The idea is that these two systems together provide a safety net to prevent hunger in America. The reality, however, is quite another matter.

    As I’m packing, I ponder what’s going into each box. While this food could perhaps meet some basic nutritional needs, there are quite a few items here I wouldn’t eat unless I was really hungry. But there is also boxed milk, cereal, peanut butter, canned fruit, and pasta that are more appealing.

    When I volunteered, I was told some of these boxes go to low-income seniors once a month. But we’re packing boxes for a variety of destinations. I wonder how many of the calories the recipients need are supplied by this box, and what they eat for the rest of the month. I wonder where the food box recipients get their fresh food. I wonder how many of the items I’m packing in each box get thrown away.

    The two hour volunteer shift is a satisfying experience. The movements of packing and loading warm me up quickly in the chilly warehouse. The time goes fast, I chat with other volunteers, we finish packing all the boxes needed that day, and I get a peek into one of the components of a food assistance system I know very little about. I have many unanswered questions, but when I come back next month, I can learn more.

    I’m here because the recent SNAP crisis and efforts by the Trump regime to take away food aid from the most vulnerable people has jolted me into taking action. Whatever else I may question, I don’t ever doubt that no one should go hungry in our community, state, or country.

    I’m also here because I’m trying to understand, through volunteering, conversations, and research how the network of food assistance programs in our community works, how much it alleviates hunger and food insecurity, and how much it fails to do. I’ll keep posting about what I learn.