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 919 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 348 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 32.7-million pounds of food. In total, the Oregon Food Bank Network of 991 agencies distributed 57.7-million pounds of food.

Who’s hungry?
An estimated 192,000 people ate meals from an emergency food box in an average month last year. Of those, 37 percent were children.

365 food pantries distributed emergency food boxes. In addition, 176 soup kitchens and shelters provided 4-million emergency meals and 378 other agencies helped more than 88,000 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.

Where does the food come from?
We receive food from a variety of sources:

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

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 991 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 348 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?

People are hungry because they don't make enough money to cover basic living costs.

• 47 percent of households had at least one member working. That’s up from 43 percent in 2004 and 37 percent in 1996.

• Nearly a third of emergency food box recipients say they need help because their wages are too low. This is major change from 2002 during the economic downturn when 19 percent of recipients named low wages as a reason for needing help.
• 78 percent of households reported incomes less than 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
• 38 percent cite higher wages as critical to improving their situation.
• Nearly two-thirds of the new jobs created since the end of the last economic boom pay less that $30,000 a year. Moreover a smaller share of workers in Oregon has employers who pay something towards health insurance compared to just a few years ago.
  
  

The high cost of housing, health care, childcare and fuel make it difficult for low-income individuals and families to have enough money to pay for food.

• The portion of food box recipients who cited high fuel and heating costs as the reason for needing help feeding their families increased sharply – from 21 percent in 2000 to 31 percent this year.
• 23 percent of households cite the need for affordable housing as crucial to preventing future food crises.
• Many lack health insurance, delay care.
• 53 percent of households delay medical care due to cost. That’s up from 47 percent in 2002 and 41 percent in 1996.
• 38 percent of adults in surveyed households had no health insurance
• 20 percent of children had no health insurance.