Sponsored by
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Compiled by Linda Orcelletto
On June 25, City Club brought together key community organizations gathered for Together at the Table, a timely and critical discussion on food insecurity and access to nutritious food. With Congress currently considering a 26% reduction in food assistance funding. Even a 10% cut could force every food pantry in the U.S. to close. These reductions would disproportionately affect low-income families, children, seniors, and rural residents.
Food Insecurity by the Numbers:
- Central Oregon: 1 in 10 residents experience food insecurity
- Oregon statewide: 14% of residents are food insecure
- In the Tri-county region:
- Crook County: 14%
- Jefferson County: 14%
- Deschutes County: 12%
- Nearly 25,000 people, including about 6,000 children, struggling with access to sufficient food.
The forum was not a political commentary but rather allowing our audience to have a greater understanding of the scope of the issue in Central Oregon, how organizatins are working on creating innovative solutions to the challenge, and what we can do to help our neighbors.
Carly Auten, Food Program Director for NeighborImpact, shared that last year they and their network of 57 partners distributed 4 million pounds of food across Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties—about 80,000 pounds per month. To put things in perspective, that’s equivalent to 100 semi-truck loads delivered monthly to individuals and families in need!
Ranae Staley, Executive Director for the Giving Plate, described how the 15-year-old nonprofit serves 1,600 families each month with a week’s worth of groceries. Their market-style pantry fosters dignity and community. Unfortunately, due to myths surrounding who is food insecure, many people feel shame to ask for help. She gave us a snapshot of the ‘face’ of those visiting their store:
- 35% working families
- 35% children
- 13% seniors
- 16% houseless individual
Audry Tehan, Executive Director of the Sisters-based Seed to Table, an organic education farm, emphasized the importance of fresh, healthy food. The need for nutritious food is only increasing. Tehan said their biggest challenge is to have the ability to provide food to those who need it, especially since Central Oregon is a ‘food desert’. There are the additional challenges of a short growing season, limited water, and funding.
Lindsey Stailing, Director of Patient Support Services for Mosaic Community Health, gave us the connection of lack of nutritious food to health outcomes saying food is moving into a public health crisis:
- Hunger impairs learning, memory, and bone growth
- Many people who are food insecure have increased anxiety and depression since they are in survival mode, wondering how they will feed themselves and their family
- Many adults are forced to choose between food, rent, medicine, and medical treatment leading to more missed days of work and declining productivity
- Diabetes is a growing health concern. In its earlier stages, diabetes can be controlled by diet, but access to fresh fruits and vegetables is costly – yet so is ongoing care associated with undiagnosed diabetes.
- Seniors, already on a fixed income, often forgo eating so they can pay for medication. Lack of transportation to grocery stores causes isolation, depression and more severe health crises and increased costs.
Thanks to First Interstate Bank and Pinnacle Architecture for sponsoring our forum. First Interstate collected nonperishable food items from community members for neighbors in need. You can pick up an orange bag at any First Interstate Bank location and return it filled with nonperishable food items. Here’s how you can also help:
- Check in on neighbors—make sure they have enough to eat
- Volunteer at local food banks/pantries (great for team building)
- Donate money or food to community-based organizations like NeighborImpact, the Giving Plate, Seed to Table or other organizations in our own community
Reducing food insecurity strengthens the health, education, and resilience in Central Oregon. It’s not a hand out—it’s caring for our community. Let’s make sure anyone in Central Oregon who needs food receives it.
When we feed our neighbors, we feed our future.
