|
[ Printer Friendly Version ]
Hunger in Oregon
An uncertain food supply is a reality for many Oregonians. In 2005, an
estimated 190,000 people each month ate meals from emergency food boxes at least
once, and over 4 million emergency meals were served throughout the year1. Working families, the elderly, the retired, the disabled,
and children are most likely to need emergency food.
To understand more about hunger in Oregon, click on the following links:
FCD Addresses Hunger in Oregon
OSU Family and Community Development programs address two important
aspects of hunger in Oregon: strengthening food resources and improving
community food security.
Strengthening Emergency Food Resources
OSU Extension Nutrition Education Programs (NEP) reach
Food Stamp-eligible youth and adults with demonstrations and hands-on activities that promote
three core elements: dietary quality, food safety, and food resource management. In addition
to Food Stamps and other federal food assistance programs, many NEP participants have utilized
emergency foods at least once within the past year. Some rely on emergency and supplemental
food programs each month. Our partnership with Oregon
Food Bank has resulted in strengthened connections between county-based Extension programs
and Regional Food Banks across Oregon.
- Goals of our Emergency Food Resource Efforts:
- Increase use of low-cost, nutritious foods that might go unused (emergency, salvaged, gleaned, commodity, local, other).
- Improve dietary quality for emergency food users (many of whom are at higher risk for diet-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes) by improving knowledge, skills and behaviors related to the core elements of our program.
- Activities include:
- Ongoing identification of key places within the emergency food network to conduct
nutrition education activities and partnerships. Special attention is given to type of audience
(Hispanic emergency food recipients, pantry workers as food "gatekeepers") with a focus on
specific foods distributed
- Development of a recipe database that
targets emergency food agencies, educators, and food recipients with recipes, fact sheets,
and other resource materials
- Development (in partnership with Oregon Food Bank) of Food For Oregon, a searchable database of
non-emergency community food programs in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Improving Community Food Security
Along with strengthening emergency food resources, our programs promote community food security and the reduction in the need for emergency food resources.
Community food security means that all people at all times have access to safe, nutritious, affordable, adequate, and culturally appropriate food from non-emergency food sources. It also means that food is produced, processed, and distributed in ways that honor and protect the environment and the workers who produce it.
OSU Extension Family and Community Development supports community food security through education, outreach, and policy activities conducted at the household, local, regional, and statewide level.
- Goals of our Community Food Security efforts:
- To increase in the variety and number of educational partnerships in Oregon.
- To increase awareness of the concept (including the benefits and challenges) of community food security and to play a key role in helping coordinate and conduct community food security assessments.
- Activities include:
- Participation in Regional workshops with key food system members to identify goals for local assessment and implement local projects to improve community food security.
- Development (in partnership with Oregon Food Bank) of Food For Oregon, a searchable database of non-emergency community food programs in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Footnotes:
Content Contact: Anne Hoisington
|
