Inflation hasn't sent more to FOOD for Lane County, but it may hinder donations
Food is getting more expensive, quickly. Grocery store items were 10% more expensive in March 2022 than they were in March 2021, according to the USDA.
That could put a strain on Lane County families, 13.6% of whom were food insecure before the pandemic began, according to Feeding America.
So far, FOOD for Lane County, the largest food bank in the county, has seen a small increase in the number of people in need of resources. In both January and February, the food bank interacted with residents about 65,000 times, this could include meals served or food boxes given. In March, the food bank had 70,000 contacts.
Inventory levels stable, with donations needed
As demand for help from FOOD for Lane County hasn’t been as high, the organization has been able to build up their inventory. The recent slight uptick has eaten at its supply but the organization still has about 10 weeks worth of inventory on hand.
“We never put out there that we have enough food because we never do have enough,” Tom Mulhern, the executive director of FOOD for Lane County, said.
This year, FOOD was able to benefit from foodraisers, such as the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and the Oregon Ducks spring game.
While these efforts brought in thousands of pounds of food, the food raised hasn’t yet met the amount raised before the pandemic.
“We don’t think it's a reduction in levels of enthusiasm or support at all. We think it's just, people are still adjusting to life after the pandemic,” Mulhern said. “Supporting these kinds of food collection things, it really does become a habit. And we kind of got out of the habit over the last couple of years.”
Spring game food drive:Oregon Duck fans donate over 30K pounds of canned food to nonprofit organization
The UO spring game is free but attendees are encouraged to bring canned items in place of admission. This year it brought in 34,000 pounds of food. It’s a significant amount, but in years past, the event would bring in 45,000 to 50,000 pounds of food.
Need expected more pronounced after emergency benefits end
FOOD for Lane County seeing a slight increase in people needing its assistance despite skyrocketing prices may be because of one mitigating factor, Mulhern said.
Every month since March 2020, the federal government has approved emergency benefits for households who receive SNAP, sometimes known as food stamps. The policy has made it so most Oregon SNAP households now receive the maximum monthly benefit allowable for their household size.
The federal government decides to extend the emergency allotments on a monthly basis, so nobody knows when it will end. When it does, food banks will see more people in need, Mulhern said.
“At that point, we'll see a significant increase in demand for food assistance. At least, we expect that because food stamps are the biggest bulwark of defense against food insecurity in our country. No question about it,” Mulhern said. “So, when they go up or down, we see the changes in the number of people showing up for food.”
At this point the extra benefits are set to continue in June.
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New mobile food pantry on look out for volunteers
As employers and volunteer organizers alike are faced with a worker shortage, FOOD for Lane County has maintained a steady number of volunteers to keep their operations afloat. However, as with food, Mulhern added that there’s always a need for more.
“We could use some more volunteers,” Mulhern said. “There are still some gaps.”
To respond to pandemic needs, FOOD launched The Mobile Food Pantry, which focuses on serving marginalized communities and specific parts of the county with high need. The pantry works supplement and promote other hunger-relief agencies.
More volunteers are needed for this this recently created program. People can sign up to volunteer at volunteer.FoodforLaneCounty.org.
People in need of food assistance can go online at foodforlanecounty.org/get-help/ or call 541-343-2822.
Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-521-7512, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: FOOD for Lane County stable, but fewer donations raised since pandemic
