Organizations that help ensure food ends up on the tables of thousands of struggling Oregonians each day say they already faced extraordinary demand this year due to rising rents and food prices. Now the looming lapse in federal food assistance dollars for 757,000 state residents has magnified the dire situation — and they’re not equipped to keep everyone fed.
In the face of a freeze to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that is slated to occur Saturday, many large Oregon food aid organizations say they have no reserves to draw from, even with an influx of donations and $5 million in state aid pledged by Gov. Tina Kotek Wednesday.
“It’s important to note: For every one meal food banks provide, SNAP provides nine,” Suleiman Amanzad, a spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank, said in an email. “There is simply no way for food banks to replace this critical program.”…