Food, Housing and Transit Victories out of Salem

July 11, 2017 – The Oregon Legislature has adjourned!

Many of you wrote, called and visited your legislators during the five long months of the legislative session. You told them about the damage of food insecurity in your community. And you asked your legislator to prioritize fighting hunger with their votes.

In April of this year, nearly 250 of us from across our state participated in Oregon Hunger Response Day at the Capitol. We met with all 90 state legislators or staff.

Thousands of people across Oregon sent personal messages written on paper plates. Food pantries collected over 1500 of these individual stories. Some 175 of you took action via e-mail alerts. Yet others made special efforts to contact particular legislators when called upon.

We cannot thank you enough for all the ways in which you contributed!

Despite a state budget crisis, we said no cuts to services at a time when our state had the highest spike hunger rate in the nation (USDA 2016 report), and high housing costs have caused many to lose their homes.

Our united voice made a big impact. We succeeded in convincing legislators to add resources to important services critical to overcoming poverty.

Oregon Hunger Response Fund: This fund represents the state’s partnership with the Oregon Food Bank Network. The $4.2 million that was secured in the two-year budget represents a significant increased investment and will go to fund food and capacity building at each of the 20 regional food banks that provide services to every corner of our state.

Emergency Housing Account/State Homeless Assistance Program: We’ve been hearing a lot about the link between housing costs and food insecurity from people experiencing hunger across Oregon. These programs provide emergency rent assistance and fund homeless shelters and services. The $40 million in the budget is double the investment over the previous two-year period.

Public Transit Funding: All across the state, many food bank clients depend on public transportation to reach their jobs, go to the grocery store, or visit a food pantry or other services. Within the larger transportation package that the Legislature passed, funding for transit was secured. These dollars will go statewide and support new and expanded service, longer hours, more frequency, and increase access for senior and disabled populations.

Learn more about our public policy work at Oregon Food Bank.