Starving in the Garden: Hunger Amidst Oregon's Bounty

Oregon has been called a “foodie’s paradise,” and rightly so. We have a wide network of farmers markets and a wealth of seasonal bounty. We have a world famous artisanal food culture. We have gourmet food carts. And yet, in this bountiful garden of Eden, more than 700,000 people statewide face food insecurity. That’s nearly 20% of the people in our state (Chanay and Edwards). And the numbers are rising: The Oregon Food Bank Network, a consortium of 20 regional food banks and pantries, recently cited long-term unemployment as the main reason more families are sinking into poverty and seeking emergency food aid. Between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, Oregon Food Bank reported, they distributed a record 1,024,000 emergency food boxes in Oregon and southwest Washington—a 12% increase from the previous year alone (Oregon Food Bank).

Hunger is a real, and increasing, issue in Oregon. It is not going anywhere; quite the opposite. And that comes with a cost to us all. In this paper, I’d like to address the issue of hunger here in the Beaver State. Food insecurity strikes the most vulnerable among us—children, veterans, the elderly, and women—and it costs us all.

So why are people hungry in Oregon? Because, simply put, life is expensive. For the working poor, it can come down to a choice between paying the rent and utilities, or buying food. For single-parent households who need child care, this is an awful choice to have to make. Someone on a fixed income may not have the money for meals after paying medical bills or prescription drug costs. Basically, if there’s a discrepancy between income and expenses, something has to go—and all too often, that something is regular, nutritious meals.

Hunger is an equal opportunity ill. It can affect the rural poor, who lack the transportation costs to access affordable food.  It encompasses senior citizens, people with disabilities, low-wage workers. It disproportionately hits Latinx, African-Americans, and female-headed single parent families the most, though a recent study shows that even families traditionally immune to hunger, like two-income households, are increasingly being dragged down into food insecurity. These are often hard-working people who simply can’t make ends meet and are forced to go meals (or days) without food to eat.

Food insecurity isn’t just a problem for the people going hungry. It affects everyone, societally, financially, and in terms of our shared future. And yet the cost to of providing three healthy meals a day is far less to government and society than paying for the long-term consequences of food insecurity

The child who doesn’t get enough to eat has a bigger chance of cognitive problems. She is 50% more likely than her peers to miss days of school and 50% more prone to have to repeat a grade. She may display antisocial behaviors, need medical and mental health interventions, and she is twice as likely to get suspended from school (Shepard 11). She’s less likely to graduate from high school and attend college, which will likely consign her to a lifetime of low-paying jobs – And in turn, she will have trouble feeding her own children.

Food insecure people of all ages are more likely to have compromised immune systems due to malnourishment, making them more susceptible to disease. The most vulnerable of these are senior citizens. Oregon is one of the top five hungriest states for people 50 and older. Undernourished seniors are more prone to falling injuries than their well-fed counterparts, and they may show symptoms of dementia (Paulionis 278), requiring extra care they may not be able to afford.  The risk of depression goes hand in hand with hunger as well; food insecurity is associated with a fivefold factor in the odds of suicide (Shepard 7).

The third societal cost of hunger is obesity. Junk food is nearly always cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables, and it’s easier to find as well. Too, when people who regularly go hungry finally get food, they naturally tend to binge eat (Townsend et al 1744), which can have disastrous consequences beyond excessive weight gain. Studies show that obesity is correlated with a host of serious health disorders, from high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol to Type 2 diabetes and asthma (Shak, et al 4). Low-income women are most at  risk, but there are numbers of obese children are going up as well.

So what are we to do? The first order of business in feeding the hungry is to provide emergency rations. This takes care of the immediate need, but does nothing to address the root causes of food insecurity. I believe that our strategy must be to build and cultivate a strong regional food system, one that addresses the needs of low-income families and communities of color—not just the affluent “foodie” culture.

If we want to reduce hunger and its attendant ills, we need to create mutually beneficial partnerships with food producers, retailers, schools and communities. We should develop a regional food infrastructure that encompasses growing food on a small to mid-sized scale as well as providing the means to store, process, market, and distribute it. This would include home, community and school gardens. 

School gardens, especially, provide children with a thorough grounding in where their food comes from, how it grows, and the benefits of good nutrition Through initiatives like the  Farm to School programs, children can be introduced to their local farmers and food processor through field trips, their school cafeterias, and in-class visits from farmers and ranchers. Studies show that, as  children participate in these projects, their consumption of—and appreciation for—fruits and vegetables increases. (Ratcliffe).

Getting enough nutritious, sustaining food to eat is important for everyone, but seniors are especially vulnerable, particularly those with limited mobility. One resource they have access to is the  Food Stamp Program. However, only an  estimated 35% of eligible seniors take part (FRAC). Why so? Many (mistakenly) believe they're only eligible for the minimum monthly benefit  of $16. Some find the paperwork overwhelming, or don't know where or how to apply. Still others worry about the stigma attached to food stamps, feeling they might be treated poorly by shopkeepers or looked down upon by family and friends. In all of these cases, education and outreach would go a long way toward providing these elderly with the food benefits to which they are legally entitled.

And what about obesity? Here, too, education is key. Public policies to promote nutritious eating would go a long way toward healthier eating. Children can bring the message home from school. But as long as families live in 'food deserts' without access to healthy food options like fruits and vegetables, their behavior cannot change. And if families cannot achieve economic security, they will be forced to go with whatever fills their bellies in the short term.

Equal access to food—healthy food, and enough of it—is a basic human right. With Oregon's high (and rising) rates of food insecurity, we have to address the core issues of why this continues to be a problem. Even if we cannot fix the economy, surely we can do more than provide emergency rations. We should be able to provide a safety net in the form of a thriving regional system that supports farmers and processors while ensuring that three meals a day are affordable for our most vulnerable populations. To do otherwise is to ignore a problem that's staring us right in the face in the form of our neighbors, family and friends.

With our natural bounty, Oregon has the potential to become a nationwide leader in building a socially, financially and environmentally sustainable food web. Even in these dark economic times, we can do this. If we don't, who will?

Works Cited

Chanay, Jessica and Edwards, Mark. “Hunger & Food Insecurity in Oregon: A Brief Introduction.” Presentation. 2012 Food Security Summit. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 19-20 Jan. 2013. Keynote Presentation.

Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Food Research and Action Center. Food Research and Action Center, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.

Oregon Food Bank. Oregon Food Bank Fact Sheet 2011. Portland: Oregon Food Bank, 2011. Print.

Paulionis, Lina. “The Changing Face of Food and Nutrition in Canada and the United States: Opportunities and Challenges for Older Adults.” Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly 2008, 27.3/4 (2008):277-295. Print.

Ratcliffe, Michelle Markesteyn. Integrated Farm to School and School Garden Pilot Programs. Salem: Oregon Department of Agriculture, 2010. Print.

Shak, Linda, Mikkelsen, Leslie & Chehimi, Sana. Recipes for Change: Healthy Food in Every Community.  Oakland: Prevention Institute, 2010. Print.

Shepard, Donald S., Setren, Elizabeth and Cooper, Donna Hunger in America: Suffering We All Pay For. Washington: Center for American Progress. October 2011. Print.

Townsend, Marilyn S., et al. "Food Insecurity Is Positively Related To Overweight In Women." Journal Of Nutrition 131.6 (2001): 1738-1745. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.


© Shaii Stone 2013