Oregon leaders have no public plans so far to support SNAP beneficiaries if federal funding stops
By Khushboo Rathore, Oregon Journalism Project
Federal funding for SNAP runs out Saturday, Nov. 1, if the federal government remains shut down, leaving more than 757,000 Oregonians without the support they rely on to buy groceries.
“Older adults and people with disabilities could face impossible choices between groceries, rent and medicine,” said Oregon Food Bank public policy advocate Sammi Teo.
If you need help
Enter your ZIP code to find the food assistance nearest you at OregonFoodFinder.org. If you receive SNAP, visit benefits.oregon.gov for updates.
The Ashland Community Food Bank is open 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and the third Saturday of each month at 560 Clover Lane, Ashland
Food is available from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. every third Saturday at Greensprings Community Food Pantry, 16151 Highway 66
ACCESS Food Pantries
2 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at Ashland First United Methodist Church, 175 N. Main St., Ashland
4 to 5 p.m. Mondays at Talent Community Center, 104 E. Main St., Talent
For a list of all Jackson County food pantries, click here
In Oregon, the average Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefit for a single person is $6 a day. SNAP benefits to Oregon are about $140 million a month, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
A study by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities ranked Oregon the third-most-dependent state on the food assistance program, behind only New Mexico and Louisiana.
A data analysis by OJP shows that Malheur and Jefferson counties would be hurt most by the cutoff, with more than 26% of households using SNAP benefits. In Jackson County, 17.6%, or a bit more than one in six households, use SNAP benefits.
Governors in other states, including New York, Minnesota and Virginia, have taken steps to provide emergency funds and food for people who rely on the 60-year-old food assistance program if the shutdown continues.
Oregon sits on a “rainy day fund” of $2.9 billion, and lawmakers have tapped its interest earnings for emergency uses as recently as June to fight wildfires.
It is unclear whether the state has a plan to fill the gap for SNAP recipients.
As of Wednesday afternoon’s press deadline, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s office did not have a comment on any plans here. The governor is currently in Asia on a trade mission.
Spokespeople for Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Julie Fahey also did not comment.
Oregon state Sen. Khanh Pham (D-East Portland) said she supports tapping into emergency funds. “There is [internal] discussion happening, and I think we’ll know more in the coming days.”
Oregon is one of 25 states suing USDA to force it to continue funding SNAP.
Food banks in the state already face high demand, Teo said, and they don’t have the resources to feed everyone.
“Hunger is a policy choice,” Teo said. “Our leaders must act to ensure SNAP benefits reach families on time and that no one in our communities goes hungry.”
Khushboo Rathore is a data and engagement reporter for the Oregon Journalism Project. She has journalism and information science degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Related stories:
Oregon Gov. Kotek sends $5 million to food banks ahead of SNAP cutoff (Oct. 29)
SNAP food and nutrition assistance to Oregonians runs out at the end of October (Oct. 20)
