Answers to frequently asked questions

What is Oregon Food Bank?
Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of a statewide network of more than 935 hunger-relief agencies serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash.

Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then distributes that food to 20 regional food banks across Oregon. Sixteen are independent charitable organizations. OFB directly operates the four regional food banks serving the Portland metro area and southeast Oregon. Those four centers distribute food weekly to more than 340 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other programs helping low-income individuals in Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, Washington, Malheur, Harney and Tillamook counties.

OFB also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, learning gardens and public education.

How did Oregon Food Bank start?
Food-banking started in Oregon under the leadership of Governor Tom McCall. He inspired charitable organizations in the state to work together to provide emergency food relief to people in need.

The two main organizations, Oregon Food Share and Interagency Food Bank, merged in 1988 to form Oregon Food Bank.

How is OFB funded?
OFB is a nonprofit organization. It is funded through private contributions from individuals,corporations and foundations. Other sources of revenue include federal, state and local grants; special events; and share contributions from member agencies.

How much food do you distribute?
Last year, Oregon Food Bank collected and distributed 36-million pounds of food. In total, the Oregon Food Bank Network of 935 agencies distributed 66.2-million pounds of food.

Who’s hungry?
An estimated 240,000 people ate meals from an emergency food box in an average month last year. Of those, 36 percent were children.

In addition, soup kitchens and shelters provided 3.8-million emergency meals and other network agencies helped more than 96,000 people.

Those most likely to need emergency food are families and children. Most adults who receive emergency food are working, retired or disabled. And two-parent families make up the largest group of those receiving emergency food.

How much food is in a typical food box?
A typical food box provides a three-to-five day supply of groceries for a family.

Where does the food come from?
The OFB Network receives food from a variety of sources:

• 53 percent comes from the food industry (growers, processors, manufacturers, distributors, retailers)
• 16 percent from food drives
• 16 percent comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• 15 percent is purchased

How do you distribute food?
Oregon Food Bank does not give food directly to the public. It distributes food to regional food banks throughout the state. They, in turn, distribute food to a network of 935 food pantries, soup kitchens, and other programs such as shelters, day-care centers, youth programs, senior programs and rehabilitation centers.

OFB distributes food to agencies according to an allocation formula based on data including the area's poverty rate and unemployment rate.

OFB also directly operates the four regional food banks serving the Portland metro area, southeast Oregon and Tillamook County. Every week more than 340 hunger-relief agencies come to those facilities to pick up their food orders.

How does Oregon's hunger problem compare to that of other states?
Thanks to increased food stamp participation, the hard work of OFB Network agencies and the support of thousands of volunteers, donors and community partners, Oregon is no longer the hungriest state in the nation. But we still have much work to do and we need continued community support.

Why are people in Oregon hungry?

Hunger is an income problem. People are hungry because they don't make enough money to cover basic living costs.

67 percent of households receiving emergency food boxes reported incomes less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level.

Most adult emergency food box recipients are working, retired or disabled.

• 46 percent of households receiving emergency food boxes had at least one working adult.

More households delay medical and dental care.

• 58 percent of households delay medical care due to cost. That’s up from 53 percent in 2006 and 47 percent in 2002.
• 41 percent of adults in surveyed households had no health insurance
• 24 percent of children had no health insurance.