Oregon has the third-hungriest population in the United States, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study that measured nationwide food insecurity as of December 2007.
A “food insecure” household is one that struggles to afford sufficient food to feed its members. Food security is relative to the poverty line, which is $19,806 for a family of four.
In Oregon, 12.4 percent of the population was food insecure – 458,000 people. The No. 3 ranking is an improvement for Oregon, after being ranked No. 1 in 2000.
The USDA named Oregon the Hungriest State in the Nation that year. The Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force and other activists created a five-year plan called the Act to End Hunger, which succeeded in taking Oregon down to a No. 17 ranking in 2005.
However, wages didn’t keep up with the cost of living, said Patti Whitney-Wise, executive director of the task force. Consequently, Oregon again rose in the rankings.
Whitney-Wise added that the past year saw a significant increase in applications for food stamps and requests for food boxes.
She is concerned that given these trends, combined with the current economy, the 12.4 percent statistic may be low. “What worries us most is that this report covers information from a year ago,” Whitney-Wise said. “Everything we are seeing in Oregon tells us that a new survey taken today would undoubtedly show considerably higher numbers of food insecure people.”
Solving Oregon’s hunger problem is still a priority for the task force. Its members have asked Gov. Ted Kulongoski to prioritize human services in his 2009-11 budget. In addition, it joined the Food Research and Action Center with the purpose of asking Congress to pass an economic recovery package. The package would include an extension to unemployment insurance and boost the food stamp program.
Whitney-Wise identified the food insecure households as one of the most vulnerable groups in the current faltering economy. “People with the lowest incomes face the most serious threats,” she said. “We must not fail to invest in rebuilding our economy while also preventing hunger and poverty.”
[email protected]
Ore. hunger problem ranks third in nation
Daily Emerald
November 23, 2008
0
More to Discover