While inflation is , prices at grocery stores still remain high for many people. In Oregon, food insecurity rates rose sharply to 12% from 2021-2023, an increase from 9.2% from 2018-2020, according to the . That means more than 400,000 people 鈥� including many of the state鈥檚 children 鈥� were food insecure, or didn鈥檛 know where their next meal was coming from.
The state was one of six states where very low food security rates rose as well 鈥� essentially when people are in a more severe situation and are skipping meals because they can鈥檛 afford adequate food. Nationally, 13.5% of households were food insecure at least sometime during the year.
The report aligns with the spike in need for emergency food assistance across Oregon over the last few years, said Morgan Dewey, a spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank.
鈥淔or the last couple of years we鈥檝e seen a record-breaking number of visits across our more than 1,400 food assistance sites across Oregon and Southwest Washington,鈥� Dewey said. 鈥淭his data absolutely confirms the anecdotes that we鈥檝e seen on the ground and what those local food pantries are saying.鈥�
Sarah Weber-Ogden, co-executive director for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said she attributes the sharp increase to the rising cost of living, but also to the end of , which kept many families afloat during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really showing us that government programs that provide access to food are actually very successful in keeping our neighbors out of food insecurity,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that can give us a roadmap for moving forward and taking next steps in light of this data.鈥�
Weber-Ogden said going into the 2025 state legislative session, she and other advocates will make universal free school meals a top priority, which would help address hunger among children. While free meals are available in all, that鈥檚 not the case for all schools, Weber-Ogden said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not all the way there鈥e have a small gap to close to get there, but it is going to require that lawmakers prioritize this now,鈥� she said.
Dewey said the Oregon Food Bank, along with other advocates, including Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, will work to introduce the policy during next year鈥檚 legislative session as well. The bill would extend benefits similar to SNAP, informally known as food stamps, to over 62,000 Oregonians currently ineligible to apply because of their immigration status.
鈥淭his would directly put money in people鈥檚 pockets to buy food,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t would get Oregon off the list of those [high food insecurity] states.鈥�
For Weber-Ogden, the report overall highlights the need for stronger policies to reduce food insecurity rates.
鈥淭his data really should be a wake up call to lawmakers in a state as abundant as Oregon,鈥� she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no reason why we should be seeing food insecurity rates like this.鈥�
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