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WHAT WOULD HELP? Respondents were asked: “What would help improve your present situaon and make emergency food

assistance less necessary for your family?”

As in past HFA surveys, respondents focused on employment, living wages, aordable housing,

educaon and health care. These obvious and basic components of a successful, producve life

connue to remain out of reach for many Oregonians. 

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12

   M   o   n   t   h   l   y   a   v   e   r   a   g   e   :   P   e   o

   p   l   e   R   e   c   e   i   v   i   n   g   A   s   s   i   s   t   a   n   c   e

More people are using food stamps … yet requests for emergency food remain high 

Food Stamps/SNAP 

Emergency Food Boxes 

WHAT TO DO Oregon Food Bank is commied to helping Oregonians get back to work when the economy recovers. Food, housing

and job readiness are essenal to geng and keeping a job. Here are some examples of policy acons that would

move Oregon toward eliminang hunger and its root causes:  

Feeding Hungry Oregonians 

Oregon Hunger Response Fund (formerly GFFP), Farm Direct, Farm-to-School  Housing Oregonians 

State Homelessness Assistance Program, Emergency Housing Account 

Encouraging Job Success 

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Employment-Related Day Care, Earned Income Tax Credit  

For more informaon, see www.oregonfoodbank.org/Advocate/Take-acon 

61% of respondents are currently receiving SNAP benets;

of those not receiving SNAP benets, the most c ommon

reason was not knowing if they qualied (22%)  

When asked if they were able to meet their food

needs for the month when adding the emergency

food box to the rest of their food supply, 72% of 

survey respondents said yes. 

2012 Proles of Hunger and Poverty in Orego

& Annual Stascs: Execuve Summary This year’s Hunger Factors Assessment Survey reects the connuing fallout of massive job

losses caused by the Great Recession. The percentage of respondents reporng long-term

unemployment as a reason for seeking help stood at 27% — higher than the 22% reported 2008 at the very beginning of the recession. Even as the economy slowly improves, Oregon

Clark County, Washington families are facing familiar problems that have only goen worse

recovery will take a long me.

Last year, partner agencies provid

record 1,117,000 emergency food

an increase of 9%. 

There were 435 pantries in the Ne

2011-2012. The number of food b

distributed range from 500 per ye

over 25,000 at several large urban

pantries. The food bank network amore pantries in the last four yea

the number of food boxes dis trib

increased by 41%, or 330,000 box

Food

Industry

Donations

54%

USDA11%

Food Drives

14%

Purchased

Product 21%

The average number of pantry visits per household rose sl ightly to about four mes per year. 

Oregon Food Bank and the Network together

received 81.7 million pounds of food for

distribuon: 

OFB and 4 Branches: 43.5 million 

16 Regional Food Banks: 17.6 million 

945 Partner Agencies: 20.6 million 

ANNUAL STATISTICS 2011-2012 

NETWORK SOURCES OF 500000

600000

700000

800000

900000

1000000

1100000

1200000

FY

03/04

FY

04/05

FY

05/06

FY

06/07

FY

07/08

FY

08/09

FY

09/10

FY

10/11

FY

11/12

EMERGENCY FOOD BOX DISTRIBUTION 

7/29/2019 Profiles of Hunger & Poverty in Oregon

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This report presents the results of 4601 surveyed households that received an emergency food box from 162

 partner agencies of the Oregon Food Bank Network of Regional Food Banks. The Hunger Factors Assessment 

surveys were sent to 176 food pantries throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington for distribuon to

 food box recipients over a three-week period during April 2012. Proles of Poverty and Hunger in Oregon

reveals their varied circumstances and gives voice to their stories. This is a summary of those ndings. 

Many Oregonians need emergency food boxes

because they can’t aord to buy enough food. Infact, nearly half of recipients cite high food cost

as a reason for seeking food assistance.

Households Selected  Situaons Contribung to Need for 

Emergency Food Box 56%

 Ran out of SNAP (50% in 2010)

 48%  High food costs (44% in 2010) 40%  High cost of gasoline/fuel (29% in 2010) 35%  High heang costs (30% in 2010) 

27%  Unemployed a long me 

Nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%)

reported a drop in monthly income

during the past two years 

Single female

parent with

children under 18

9%

Single male parent

with children

under 18

2%

Two

parents/adults

with children

under 18

27%

Grandparent(s) +

parent(s) +

children under 18

9%

Single personliving alone

21%

Single person

living with

housemate

7%

Two adults

(couple), no

children

14%

Other

11%

FOOD INSECURITY Respondents report that in the last twelve months, 84% did not have enough money to buy food –up from 69% in 2008

31% of respondents report worrying about where their next meal is coming from oen or always 

36% of households with children responding said they had to c ut their children’s meals during the

year — 30% of those said this happened every month. In 2010, the percentage cung meals was

less (30%) but happened more oen (37%) 

47% of households are families with children 

34% of those receiving food are children  

The average household size was 3.4 persons The state average from the 2010 Census was 2.5 

20% of households included one or more veterans 

REASONS WHY PEOPLE NEED EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE 

HOUSEHOLDS 

Percentage of resp

who needed to mo

last two years:  To nd work:

22% (up from

Due to cost of

33% (up from

12% have received

noces in the last

(up from a low of

Full Time

(one job)

17%

Part Time

(one job)

13%

Fu

more th

Part Tim

1%

Disabled andunable to work

21%

Retired

12%

Staying home with

child or disabledperson

6%

Unemployed and

looking for work

25%

Unemployed and

not looking for

work

4%

FPL for a family of four = $23,050 (2012)

nearly 600,000 Oregon and Clark Co residents are at or below 100% FPL  

Full me job at Oregon minimum wage = $18,304 (2012) 

Median Household Income for Oregon = $46,816 (2011 American Community Survey) 

Barriers to Employment: 

29% of households with members looking for work did not have a car 

Only 42% of respondents and spouse/partners report having some e ducaon beyond high sch

21% of households with children reported not working for lack of suitable child care 

Households also reported at least one member:  Disabled  28%

With a full-me job  27%

With a part-me job  21%

Rered  16% 

* The pie represen

individuals or abou

age adults reporte

households. 

HIGH COST OF HOUSING The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) characterizes

“aordable housing” as rent or mortgage that consumes no more than 30% of a

household income.

According to the American Community Survey, 90% of Oregon households who

reported less than $19,999 in income and re nng housing, paid more than 30% of 

their income towards rent.

MOST ARE WORKING/RETIRED/DISABLED 

All Month

9%

3 Weeks

35%

2 Weeks

31%

less than 2

Weeks

25%

SNAP (food stamps) provides only a poron of the food res

household and can quickly run out. Over 800,000 Oregonia

77,000 Clark Co residents were served by SNAP in Novemb

The average benet allotment was about $1.44 per meal if

over the enre month. The USDA esmates that eang a lo

nutrionally adequate diet of home-cooked meals for a mo

cost about $2.26 to $2.60 per meal for an adult.

Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Ocial US

Plans, Washington State Department of Social and Health S

HOW LONG DO SNAP BENEFITS LAST? 

Although 45% of households idened

employment income in the past year and 43% of 

households have at least one person working: 

74% of all households live below 100% of 

the 2012 Federal Poverty Level (FPL)  34% of households have at least one person

looking for work (compared to 20% in 2008) 

Executve Summary 20