skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Oregon Steps Up Food Resources During Hunger Crisis

play audio
Play

Friday, May 8, 2020   

PORTLAND, Ore. - The new coronavirus outbreak is devastating the economy and leading to surges in hungry people. Oregon Food Bank is stepping up to meet the challenge and believes we can emerge stronger from this crisis.

The food-distribution network says its partners around the state have seen 20% to 60% spikes in demand for hunger relief over the last few weeks. Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan says it's the biggest crisis she's seen in her 24 years working in food banking.

But she adds that meals still are flowing to 1,300 assistance sites distributing food across Oregon and southwest Washington each week.

"I have heard of exactly one, in this eight-week period, that ran out of food before they got to the end of the line," says Morgan. "So, I'm incredibly proud of our network and the tens of thousands of people who are making this happen."

Donations for Oregon Food Bank's "#EmergeStronger Community Challenge" is allowing the network to deploy more than $4.1 million to get their emergency response plan running, according to a report from the organization.

Some communities have a harder time getting assistance. Oregon Food Bank is committing $300,000 to reaching immigrant communities, because people who are undocumented don't qualify for SNAP, or food stamps.

Morgan notes that even folks who have gained legal status can't get assistance for five years. She says it's especially important to support immigrant Oregonians now because many are in front-line jobs, working in meat plants, health care or as farmworkers.

"Our immigrant communities are keeping us fed and healthy during this pandemic," says Morgan. "And so I feel like we collectively have a responsibility to wrap our arms around every one of our neighbors."

Morgan says this crisis could provide an opportunity to better support folks on the other side of the pandemic.

"The food-assistance network is the last defense against hunger, not the first," says Morgan. "The first defense should be a good offense, right? Living-wage jobs, access to health care, affordable housing, good education."

Along with donations, Oregon Food Bank has secured $8 million from the state to supplement food supplies until July, when the organization anticipates federal aid will arrive.

Disclosure: Oregon Food Bank contributes to our fund for reporting on Hunger/Food/Nutrition. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021