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In late October, approximately 75,000 Lane County residents learned their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would be paused during the ongoing government shutdown. Until the state of Oregon funded SNAP benefits on November 7th, these families with children, seniors, and other vulnerable community members didn’t know if they would be able to put food on the table.
The government shutdown ended a week later, but even so Food for Lane County has seen a quadrupling of requests for food assistance. The immediate crisis may be over, but the tumult has shed light on chronic hunger across our communities, difficulties families face in accessing food assistance, and permanent changes to federal food insecurity programs that will have a severe impact on Food for Lane County’s food supply.
As a result of HR 1, the “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed Congress this summer, reductions to SNAP benefits and new eligibility requirements have gone into effect, which will impact up to 313,000 Oregonians. Additionally, the USDA has canceled a program that delivers nutrient-dense foods like eggs, meat and dairy to food banks across the US. The result is a cut of approximately 20 percent of Food for Lane County’s annual inventory—millions of pounds of food that they will no longer receive to distribute to neighborhood pantries and meal sites like the Dining Room.
When families struggle to put food on the table, they turn to Food for Lane County. With dramatic cuts to federal assistance programs, more neighbors are lining up at food pantries seeking nutritionally balanced meals. One example is the Larry Collins Memorial Pantry on Maxwell Road. The pantry opens twice a month and provides 40 to 50 families with groceries. This October, the pantry served 25 more families than normal.
“In 15 years we’ve never seen that many people,” Pantry Manager Sue Walsh said. The pantry opened its doors at 10 o’clock that Saturday, and by 10:37 the food was almost gone. “We try to never turn anyone away,” said Sandi Patton, who volunteers at the pantry. “We always hold a few items back so we can give everyone something.” On that day, the “something” was canned beans and boxed mac and cheese.
Food for Lane County and its network of more than 150 community-based programs are bracing for the impact of the long-term cuts that went into effect in November. In the face of this ever-expanding need, Food for Lane County is innovating: expanding partnerships with grocery stores to rescue end-of-life fresh foods, forward contracting with local farms for fresh produce, meats and dairy, streamlining operations to increase the speed of food distribution, and purchasing food when funds are available to do so.
“In the past few weeks, our community has shown extraordinary compassion by stepping up to donate, hosting food drives and supporting our work to help neighbors seeking food assistance. The outpouring of generosity has been humbling and heartening,” said Executive Director Carolyn Stein.
“Still, hunger is an everyday emergency in our community. Thousands of individuals don’t have enough food to eat each month. Together, we can ensure everyone has access to healthy food.”
A donation to Food for Lane County will help prepare for the ongoing challenges. With its consortium purchasing power, $1 in donation yields two meals to feed a family experiencing food insecurity. And this month, all donations are being matched up to $100,000 thanks to an anonymous donor. Visit https://www.foodforlanecounty.org/ways-to-give/donate/donate-funds/ to donate today.
