It’s National Voter Registration Day. Will You Commit to #VoteOutHunger?

by Susannah Morgan, CEO

September 22nd is National Voter Registration Day. And in a typical year, this day would be a celebration of democracy.

But given all that’s happening in our communities right now, I don’t feel much like celebrating — and I imagine you don’t either.

Wildfires have ravaged our communities and tens of thousands of our neighbors have been displaced. And we are six months into a pandemic that’s left 1 in 5 of our neighbors out of work and facing food insecurity.

So, instead of celebrating this year, let’s commit. Let’s commit to participating in democracy and — if you can — to voting.

We have all the resources you need to get involved right here on our website. You can register to vote, check and update your voter registration, you can find out information on how to vote if you have been displaced due to wildfires. And if for whatever reason you aren’t able to vote in Oregon, you can find out how your voice matters too.

There’s no way to overstate how much voting matters in the fight against hunger.

• Your vote makes a difference in how strong SNAP food assistance (sometimes called ‘food stamps’) is.
• Your vote makes a difference in how effective our school meal programs are.
• Your vote makes a difference in the priorities of our elected leaders and the investments they’re willing to make in education, housing and healthcare.
• And your vote sends a signal that it is long past time to end systemic racism and other root causes of hunger.

So I hope you’ll join me and commit to #VoteOutHunger today. If we can’t celebrate, we can at least put our shoulders to the wheel and work. Our efforts to recover from this crisis and emerge stronger depend on it.

Grateful for all you do,

Susannah Morgan
CEO, Oregon Food Bank