On this historic day, Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan has an appeal for the 45th President of the United States.

January 20, 2017 –

Dear President Trump,

Right now, 1 in 5 people in Oregon ask for help feeding their families at food pantries and soup kitchens. That should shock us, that so many of our neighbors face hunger despite current safety net programs. As you take the highest office in our land, we ask you, simply – take no action to make hunger worse.

• DO NOT cut SNAP (food stamps), it provides a steady source of nutrition for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians. Already SNAP benefits are insufficient; the lines at food pantries across Oregon grow longer in the third and fourth weeks of each month, as families use up their SNAP benefits.

• DO NOT block grant SNAP, which would result in fewer resources during tough economic times. Many out-of-work Oregonians relied on SNAP during the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009; Oregon Food Bank could not have possibility met the need for food assistance with charity alone.

• DO NOT repeal the Affordable Care Act without a plan in place to protect health care for our low income neighbors. We used to hear regularly from people experiencing hunger that they were struggling with no health insurance, or poor health, or medical debt – but not since the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. If you increase the ranks of the uninsured, you will also increase hunger.

DO choose instead to honor the work of people like Danny. Danny is six years old. Instead of sledding with his friends, he spent Martin Luther King Jr Day at Oregon Food Bank. As 150 adults packed bulk potatoes into five pound bags, Danny ran around the room, gathering up those bags and placing them into totes for distribution to food pantries. He moved so quickly around the room that he was a blur – except for his huge smile. When asked why he chose to volunteer, he said, “Because my friend Anna’s family is having a tough time and they don’t always have enough food. I’m here for Anna.”

To me, Danny represents the Oregon, the America I want to live in – where we care for each other and help one another. Please choose to support that America and uphold federal policies that protect the most vulnerable. Please help Oregon Food Bank keep hunger at bay.

Sincerely,

Susannah Morgan
CEO, Oregon Food Bank