Election Victories and How to Protect our Democracy

by Susannah Morgan, CEO

This has been an intense week for all of us — certainly one of the most intense in my decades in food banking.

Folx, we have a lot to celebrate this week in our shared work to emerge stronger and end hunger for good. Despite the pandemic, wildfires and intentional barriers to voting, people here in Oregon and across the country turned out in unprecedented numbers to demand change.

We have a lot of incredible victories to celebrate at the state and local level, in particular. Our friends and neighbors turned out in record numbers to #VoteOutHunger and pass seven really incredible state and local ballot measures.

We are proud to support these initiatives because each represents a meaningful step forward in our efforts to address hunger at its roots. This is a huge accomplishment — and a result of an unprecedented, community-led effort at OFB that…

• • Equipped dozens of community leaders with tools and training to register new voters and #VoteOutHunger in our communities.
  • Engaged in nearly 20,000 phone and text conversations.
  • Reached more than a million people via email and social media.
  • More than 1,000 people signed the pledge to commit to hunger priorities.
  • And, in the process, raised more than $85,000 to support these efforts! 

But now, some politicians are working to drown out our voices and overturn the results. The basis of our democracy is the people pick our leaders and priorities, not the other way around. We haven’t always lived up to these principles in America, and it’s more important than ever to come together and ensure our voices are heard.

Our partners are coming together to host #CountEveryVote events across Oregon and Southwest Washington. So please join an event near you — and help spread the word — to protect our democracy and ensure we count every vote.