PRESS RELEASE: OVER 200 COMMUNITY MEMBERS TESTIFIED IN SUPPORT OF FOOD FOR ALL OREGONIANS (SB 610)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | February 28, 2023

Contact: Jacki Ward Kehrwald, media@foodforallor.org, (971)222-4662

OVER 200 COMMUNITY MEMBERS TESTIFIED IN SUPPORT OF FOOD FOR ALL OREGONIANS (SB 610)

(SALEM, ORE) On Monday, February 27, legislation to extend food assistance to more than 62,000 Oregonians facing hunger was heard in the Senate Committee for Human Services. SB 610 is sponsored by Senators Wlnsvey Campos, James Manning and 15 additional legislators. Backed by a growing coalition of over 100 community organizations, the Committee received testimony in support of the bill through more than 200 live and written testimonies.

Food for All Oregonians will ensure those who are currently excluded on the basis of immigration status will have access to the state-run food assistance program that will mirror federal SNAP benefits. Oregonians who will benefit from this new program include Lawful Permanent Residents, U.S. Compacts of Free Association (COFA) citizens, and others who arrived as immigrants or refugees. The legislation also funds community navigation, improved language access and other services to help connect families to essential food resources.

Kapiolani Micky, Community Health Worker at Micronesian Islander Community, testified in support of SB 610 and shared her experience as a COFA citizen.

"I remember when I first moved here, I made sure my kids ate first, and if they had leftovers then I would eat,” she says. “I don't want that to happen in other families, but I know that there are other families out there that would do anything just to save food for their children and family.”

Micronesian Islander Community is one of the seven organizations that makes up the steering committee for Food for All Oregonians.

Aldo Solano shared his experience growing up as a child of agricultural workers.

“I was around 10 years old when I first learned that we couldn’t qualify for SNAP benefits despite being in dire need of food assistance,” he says.

“I just couldn't understand how it was possible for us to be working in the industry that puts food on the table for millions and yet we couldn’t do it ourselves because of our status. We need to pass SB 610 immediately. The lack of access to food causes irreparable damage to the overall physical, mental and emotional health of too many Oregonian families. No parent or child should ever be worried about where their next meal is going to come from.”

“Everyone in Oregon should have access to food, no matter where they were born,” says chief sponsor Sen. Wlnsvey Campos. “This bill is one of the most significant opportunities this session to make concrete improvements to the lives of Oregonians.”

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ABOUT FOOD FOR ALL OREGONIANS

Food For All Oregonians (FFAO) is a statewide campaign to ensure that every Oregonian has access to the food we need to thrive, regardless of where we were born. The campaign is co-convened by Oregon Food Bank and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Leadership is provided by a steering committee of seven organizations representing the affected communities and a coalition of more than 100 community-based organizations. Learn more about the campaign and legislation at FoodForAllOR.org, and follow along on social media through #FoodForAllOregonians.