Reaching deep into the back of her small cupboard, Liz Allen shifts cans of pinto beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese, producing the coveted gem she had stashed for dinner: a box of Thai curry rice pilaf.
She sifts through a sink full of dishes, locates a small pan and moves toward the refrigerator. A dog wanders in and looks at her, then another arrives. It seems everyone is hungry.
“We have no butter,” she says. She turns to her roommate from the open refrigerator door, then back to the directions on the box of rice. “Do you think I could use yogurt instead?”
In the house she shares with five roommates and two dogs, creativity is a necessity. So is being sparse with her resources.
Allen, a 19-year-old Lane Community College student, lives in one of 1,800 households that will wait in line this month at the Catholic Community Services emergency food pantry at 1070 W. Sixth Ave. Just a mile from campus, it is worlds away from the lines at Holy Cow Cafe in the EMU or Caspian Mediterranean Cafe on 13th Avenue.
Last year, 463,842 people in the state received emergency food boxes. This number is up 15 percent from the year before, and according to the Oregon Food Bank, the number is rising. In response to the hunger problem Oregon encounters, the bank held a food drive, which ends today.
The University was involved with the drive, placing barrels for non-perishable food donations in buildings around campus, such as the physics department office in Willamette Hall and the journalism department office in Allen Hall.
“The University is one of the biggest sources for food donation,” said Joe Softich, food program manager for the Catholic Community Services. “Restaurants, hospitals and the University donate food to the Food for Lane County warehouse, then Food for Lane County brings it to us.”
The Carson and University Inn dining facilities are two of the food donors at the University. Unused food is sent to the warehouse on Bailey Hill Road, packaged by community volunteers and sent to pantries throughout the Lane County area. Catholic Community Services is the largest Food for Lane County agency, serving not only all households in their district, but also those who are homeless and those who do not speak English.
The food options at the pantry consist of many types of canned fruits and vegetables, as well as raw fruits and vegetables. Food for Lane County has a grassroots garden, and some local organic farms also donate their produce. Pasta, beans, bread and dairy products are staples found at the pantry each week.
“We get our dairy and produce delivered each day,” Softich said. “But we never have enough milk for everyone. The government used to donate a lot more, like USDA butter, milk and cheese. Now they only donate 10 percent of our products. Food for Lane County comes up with the other 90 percent.”
Food distributors in the community, such as the Safeway supermarket chain, also donate products to Food for Lane County.
“Sometimes there is real good food, like Trader Joe’s donates spinach dip, hummus and organic veggies. Umpqua donates milk and cheese,” said Allen, whose rice dinner came from this week’s pantry. “That’s a good day at the food box.”
Community food donors are just a fraction of what makes the food operation successful. With a full-time staff of 30 people, Food for Lane County relies heavily on volunteers to get the job done.
“Using volunteers to sort and organize food that has been donated makes more sense in the big picture,” said Cheryl Crumbley, communications director for the orgnization. “The reason Food for Lane County is so effective is due to careful use of its resources.”
Today’s end to the food drive doesn’t end the opportunity to help. Volunteers are always needed to sort donated food at the warehouse, work in the food rescue kitchen, help in the garden and at urban farms, and assist with specialized events and mailings.
“Waste and inequitable distribution create unnecessary hunger,” said Crumbley. “Billions of pounds of food are discarded every year in this country. Hunger is not a result of a food shortage.”
Finding solutions to her own food shortage is just the beginning of a long day for Allen, who has given back to the community that helps her by volunteering at Food for Lane County. After waiting in line at the food pantry, Allen will head to LCC to work on one of her two independent studies with the Green Party and OSPIRG. She also holds a job as a caregiver for senior and disabled services in town.
“I make $150 every two weeks,” Allen said. “My rent is $300 a month, not including utilities.”
A Food for Lane County study uses an average household of two children and two adults with minimum wage income jobs as an example. After basic expenses such as rent, personal care items and doctor visits, the monthly shortfall is around $400. There is no money left for food.
“Sometimes being so busy it becomes hard to make ends meet,” Allen said about her situation. “I could ask my parents for money, but they work hard. They have two kids in college and need their money, too.
“I want to learn how to support myself, and the food box helps me along my way until I am completely stable.”
Emergency food need on the rise
Daily Emerald
February 28, 2001
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