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Thank you, Lauren Kessler and Lookout Eugene-Springfield, for bringing attention to hunger in Lane County. The stories in your series, “Living in the shadow of hunger,” “Delivering food, giving hope” and “What it takes to feed the hungry” are exceptional journalism. And a wakeup call.
They reveal hunger as a daily reality for our neighbors. As they showed us, food insecurity in our community is a core part of the public health, economic and social challenges facing Lane County.
As difficult as it may be to read these stories, they also offer a path forward. When we understand the problem collectively, we can begin to solve it collectively. This is the work that Food for Lane County is committed to, and it is work that belongs to all of us.
If we accept that hunger is a communitywide problem affecting thousands of our neighbors rather than a failure of individuals, we can begin to respond with the long-term commitment the issue demands. A meaningful path forward starts with strengthening and expanding our local food networks. Neighborhood-level food distribution, mobile pantries, community gardens, co-ops, local farms and food hubs all play a part. When we source and distribute food locally, we create economic opportunities and build resilience against supply chain disruptions and other forces outside our control.
We are already seeing what’s possible through these types of partnerships. Grow Lane County, a collaboration between the Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District, Food for Lane County and the Lane Community Health Council, is working to build a more resilient local food system. This work increases access to fresh and nutritious locally grown food and channels significant investment into local producers and distribution networks. Collaborations of this kind show what we can accomplish when we align our goals and resources.
Some of the most promising progress is happening where food access intersects with health care, housing and social services. Clinics and community health centers screen patients for food insecurity and make direct referrals to food assistance programs. Many local housing providers also integrate food distribution into supportive housing models, ensuring that people also have reliable nutrition. Behavioral health, school-based programs and crisis response teams also partner with food assistance providers to better meet the needs of the communities they support. When these systems work together, people experience fewer gaps, better health outcomes and a more coordinated path toward stability.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the importance of the broader safety net. Recent cuts to federal programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have made clear just how vulnerable so many of us are when national support is weakened. Reinforcing and expanding these programs ensures that emergency food providers like Food for Lane County have the flexibility and resources they need in order to respond when gaps appear.
The power of this community is something we see every day at Food for Lane County. Volunteers, donors, partner agencies, farmers, health care providers, educators and neighbors all play a role in creating a more food-secure future. Together, we can work to address both the immediate needs and the conditions that create hunger in the first place.
So thank you, Lauren Kessler and Lookout Eugene-Springfield, for this important series. And thank you to everyone in Lane County who believes, as we do, that no one should have to wonder if they’ll have enough to eat.
Read the entire series:
