Fighting hunger
Top area food bank official braces for shortages
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Saturday, November 22, 2008 8:12 PM PST
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| Peter Lawson, branch coordinator of the Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank, talks about the pallets of food (above) that were collected by students at Ontario, Nyssa, Vale, Payette and Fruitland schools in a food drive organized by Global Realty. |
ONTARIO ” The national economic downturn is making a significant impact across Oregon as more people seek assistance from emergency food pantries.
According to a report from the Oregon Food Bank, distribution of emergency food boxes increased 13 percent in Oregon in the first quarter ” July 1 through Sept. 30.
Locally, the war on hunger continues, and the tide may turn for the worse after the first of the year, Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank branch coordinator Peter Lawson said.
“We haven’t seen the immediate impact. The real test will come in January ” the end of the holiday season and as other (food drives) run their course,” Lawson said.
U.S.D.A. statistics show that even before the economic downturn Oregon had jumped from No. 19 to No. 15 in the ranking of the nation’s state of food insecurity. According to U.S.D.A. statistics, Oregon is also No. 3 in the “very low food security” category.
The need for emergency food relief locally remains, Lawson said. For example, the local demand for services in October was 34 percent over October 2007.
One reason local food relief efforts are not over-extended now is the number of programs ” such as Help Them To Hope ” and individuals that donate help and products during the holiday season.
Even with the economy faltering, area residents continue to step up to help out, he said.
“We were afraid there would be a drop (in food donations),” Lawson said. “That has not happened.”
People and companies are still giving, he said, pointing to donations of turkeys and three pallets of goods which had been gathered in a food drive organized by Global Realty, which involved schools in Malheur and Payette counties.
Lawson also noted that the county has not seen the economic recoveries that other areas of state have experienced.
“We’re used to gritting out teeth and getting through bad times,” he said. Jason Yohannan, regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department, said Eastern Oregon does not have the big headquarters that the metro areas have, so the region should not experience the job losses others have.
“The county’s reliance on agriculture has been a stabilizing influence,” Yohannan said.
However, he noted that wintertime layoffs were coming up, and, with the shortfall in the state budget, there will probably be impacts at the local level.
“Watch out for that,” he said.
