By Sarah Schirmer | Corporate Gifts Developer
Greetings,
OFB has been busy with immediate emergency food distribution as well as bigger picture, larger conversations on a local, state and even national level.
OFB Network asks legislators to make food a priority, invest in Oregon Hunger Response Fund
More than a hundred food bankers from every corner of Oregon converged on Salem today to deliver more than a thousand paper plates, each filled with a message from a constituent (see examples above) and to ask legislators to invest in the state’s partnership with the Oregon Food Bank Network through the Oregon Hunger Response Fund.
“It takes the commitment and resources of all sectors – public, private and nonprofit – to fight hunger in Oregon,” says Susannah Morgan, CEO, Oregon Food Bank.
The Oregon Hunger Response Fund is the state’s contribution to the public-private partnership to fight hunger. It supports 20 regional food banks and more than 900 partner agencies with an annual budget of $1.1 million at time when request comes at a time when demand for emergency food continues to climb. The OFB Network is poised to distribute more than 80 million pounds of food for the third consecutive year.
To fulfill growing requests for emergency food, the OFB Network is asking the Legislature to increase its investment in the Oregon Hunger Response Fund by $375,000 annually. This investment will allow the Oregon Food Bank Network to provide the same level of food to the many families that are still struggling with hunger.
In an average month, more than 260,000 Oregonians eat meals from an emergency food box. Most people seeking emergency food are unemployed, underemployed, disabled, seniors or families with children. More than a third of those eating meals from an emergency food box are children.
Even though the economy is slowly beginning to improve, Oregon’s unemployment rates remains above the national average.
“It takes time for Oregonians who have lost their jobs, savings, health care and homes to get on their feet again,” says Morgan. “We expect the need for emergency food to continue at high levels for some time come.”
We are hopeful that we made an impact on April 18, 2013! Thank you for your continued interest and support.
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