In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began, people visited food bank sites in Oregon and Southwest Washington about 860,000 times.
In 2023, that number surged to 1.9 million. Last year, it rose to 2.5 million times, according to the latest Oregon Food Bank data from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
鈥淚t seems like the need has never been as high as it is right now,鈥� said Jimmy Jones, the executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, a nonprofit social services provider that serves Marion and Polk counties.
Some people are struggling to balance paying for meals with the rise in housing costs and inflation. Others don鈥檛 quite qualify for the federal benefits they need like SNAP, or food stamps, because of their income or immigration status. Many more are from families who haven鈥檛 had to seek help before, including middle-class Oregonians who once had decent paying jobs in restaurants or the service industry but have since been priced out of a stable living.
鈥淭he inflationary events of 2021 and 2022, in particular, have put people in a position where they either have to make choices about buying gas to get to work, or buying medicine for their kids and their grandmother, or putting food on the table,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 bet the general public would be shocked at who is coming to receive these services.鈥�
The increased demand for food services comes as roughly one out of every six children in Oregon face hunger, according to the most recent data from , an organization that includes food banks, pantries and other meal programs across the country.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing hungry kids,鈥� said Oregon Food Bank spokesperson Morgan Dewey. 鈥淲e know that a pathway to a brighter and more equitable Oregon is through our kids.鈥�
Food banks in Oregon and Southwest Washington distributed more than 109 million pounds of food last year, which was also a 5% jump from the previous year.
Regional food bank operators say their budgets are becoming increasingly strained amid the increased demand. Paula Hall is the chief executive officer of CAPECO, which provides social services throughout Eastern Oregon, including a food bank.
As the pandemic increased need among local residents, Hall said, her organization was fueled by a surge in government funds, allowing them to rent out a warehouse.
Now those funds have dwindled to pre-pandemic levels. 鈥淵et, the need doesn鈥檛 seem to be dropping,鈥� she said. Her organization faces a funding shortfall this year of at least $350,000.
鈥淲e can survive for three months, but we are going to have to look at this and approach this differently long term because the food banking business is going to hit a lull, and it鈥檚 going to impact all of us,鈥� Hall said.
Jones, of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, echoed Hall鈥檚 concerns.
鈥淭he regional and local food banks are suffering,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of them have budget deficits of several hundred thousand dollars. A lot of them are dipping into their reserves or other flexible grant sources.鈥�
More people are seeking help as the federal government cut federal benefits through SNAP in 2022, Jones said. Nearly 770,000 people in Oregon use SNAP. However, he added, 鈥淲ithout the Oregon Food Bank, there is no major voice in the Legislature for providing additional funds for food for low-income Oregonians.鈥�
鈥淚n a year like this one, where the revenue forecast is tight, and there鈥檚 major priorities around housing and transportation and behavioral health, there鈥檚 not a whole lot of air in the room for conversations about expanding budgets for food,鈥� he said.
Dewey, the Oregon Food Bank spokesperson, said the Oregon Food Bank and other organizations are backing a bill that would, among other things, create a state-funded program to support Oregonians who can鈥檛 qualify for federal food assistance due to their immigration status.
The bill is focused on helping people under the age of 25 and over the age of 55. Dewey estimates that, if passed, it would assist at least 62,000 people.