USDA Report: Food insecurity rates are rising in Oregon

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Oregon food insecurity rates spiked from 9.2% in 2018 through 2020 to 12% in 2021 through 2023, according to a USDA report released this month. Lack of income and other resources means many families must rely on federal assistance programs or food banks to survive.

In an interview Thursday on NBC5 News at Sunrise, the Executive Director of the Josephine County Food Bank, Josephine Sze, explained how this impacts the rogue valley.

“One out of every five people in Josephine county utilizes our services every month. That’s about 18,000 people. We know that roughly a quarter of our population uses some kind of SNAP or food assistance, and we know that rural populations as a whole suffer from food insecurity at a much higher rate than urban populations,” Sze said.

But it’s not just adults that suffer the hardships of food insecurity. Jackson county social services organization ACCESS is partnering with Sherm’s Food-4-less for their annual Rogue Powerpack program, to help kids who may not know where their next meal is coming from. Every Friday, local elementary school students are given six meals and six snacks to take home over the weekend.

Serving eight school districts and 30 elementary schools in the Rogue Valley, ACCESS Foods Director Marcee Champion says its the organization’s goal to support 750 students this school year, who otherwise may have gone home hungry.

“Our focus is on elementary schools in particular because they have less mobility or ability to get places. Getting them food over the weekend helps with those meals they’d normally get during the school week,” said Champion.

September is Hunger Action Month, and while programs this month help raise awareness and eliminate stigma, food insecurity is a year-round issue.

Champion strongly calls on people to volunteer saying, “anything that anybody can do throughout the year just helps out your community, helps us out a lot.”

To see how you can help fight insecurity, visit ACCESS’s website and help support the Josephine County Food Bank during Hunger Action Month here.