Biennial Hunger Survey Indicates Oregon's Economy Produces Jobs That Pay Too Little to Cover Cost of Living

"It's a crime to work full time and still not be able to afford to feed your children properly. The cost of living does not match income. We run out of money well before payday each month." – food box recipient, Salem

Homeless men catch a meal at Salem's Mission Photo by: Tim King

(PORTLAND) - The Oregon Food Bank Network's 2006 Hunger Factors Survey indicates that the area's strong economy is producing jobs, but many of these don't pay enough to cover basic living costs.

That's a major finding of the 2006 Hunger Factors Assessment, a biennial survey of emergency food box recipients in Oregon and Clark County, Wash. Oregon Food Bank released the survey results in tandem with the OFB Network's annual statistics during Oregon Harvest Week and National Food Bank Week, Oct. 16th to 22nd.

"People are hungry because they don't make enough to cover basic living costs," said Rachel Bristol, chief executive officer, Oregon Food Bank. "The high cost of housing, health care, childcare and fuel make it difficult for low-income individuals and families to have enough to pay for food."

The Oregon Food Bank Network conducts the Hunger Factors Survey every two years to assess the factors that create the need for food assistance. This year, 121 food pantries distributed the survey to emergency food box recipients during a three-week period in April. Oregon Food Bank analyzed the data from the 3,676 completed surveys, which represent a balanced sampling of households served throughout Oregon as well as Clark County, Wash.

Nearly a third (29 percent) of the recipients said they need help because their wages are too low. This is a major change from 2002, during the economic downturn, when 19 percent of recipients named low wages as a reason for needing help feeding their families.

• 47 percent of surveyed households had at least one adult who was working. That's up from 43 percent in 2004 and 37 percent in 1996.

• 30 percent of households had one or more members working full time. That's up from 26 percent in 2004 and 24 percent in 2000.

• 45 percent of families with children had at least one full-time worker.

• 78 percent of households reported incomes less than 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL).

• 33 percent of households reported incomes less than 50 percent of FPL.

• 38 percent cite higher wages as critical to improving their situation.

Oregon and southwest Washington's job growth has been strong for the past three years, creating new job opportunities for area residents. But nearly two-thirds of the new jobs created since the end of the last economic boom pay less than $30,000 a year, according to the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP). Moreover, a smaller share of workers in Oregon has employers who pay something towards health insurance compared to just a few years ago.

Many lack health insurance, delay care...

"I feel as though I have to live with substandard health because I can't afford to take care of myself even when I'm working. By the way, most of my debt is related to education and health." – food box recipient in Eugene.

• 53 percent of households delay medical care due to cost. That's up from 47 percent in 2002 and 41 percent in 1996.

• 67 percent of households delay dental care due to cost. That's up from 62 percent in 2004 and 51 percent in 2000.

• 38 percent of adults in surveyed households had no health insurance.

• 20 percent of children in surveyed households had no health insurance.

• 49 percent of households delay filling medical prescriptions due to cost.

• 58 percent report medical or hospital debts.

• 24 percent say that improved health could prevent another food crisis.

The advent of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) in 1989 dramatically reduced the number of emergency food box recipients without health care coverage. By 2002, more than 50 percent of households receiving an emergency food box had at least one member covered by OHP.

Due to revenue shortfalls, increased co-pays and expanded eligibility restrictions, in 2006 only 27 percent of households had at least one member covered by OHP. About 117,000 children in Oregon currently lack any type of medical insurance, according to the Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research.

High cost of fuel

The portion of food box recipients who cited high fuel and heating costs as the reason for needing help feeding their families also increased sharply – from 21 percent in 2000 to 31 percent this year.

High cost of housing

• 23 percent of responding households cite the need for affordable housing as crucial to preventing future food crises.

Barriers to employment

Although employment hasn't provided an adequate income for many households, 50 percent of survey respondents said that work was their key to a better future.

But they face critical barriers:

• 29 percent of households with members looking for work did not have a phone.

• 27 percent of households with members looking for work did not have a car.

• A major barrier for mothers entering the workforce is the high cost of child care.

According to the OCPP, the annual cost of full-time care for a toddler in Oregon is now $4,000 more than tuition and fees for an undergraduate at the University of Oregon.

Who is hungry?

"It hurts when your kids are hungry and the cupboards are empty."
– food box recipient in Roseburg.

• 37 percent of those receiving emergency food were children 17 years and under. The current state population estimate for that age range is 24.7 percent.

• 22 percent of households with children report cutting or reducing the size of their child's meals. Of those, 35 percent do this almost every month.

• Two-parent households are still the largest group served.

• Most adult recipients are working, retired or disabled.

"In an average month, 72,000 children in Oregon and southwest Washington eat meals from an emergency food box," said Bristol. "Children who are hungry have more trouble learning in school. Childhood hunger and malnutrition in the early years can result in irreversible health problems, such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney and heart disease, later in life. We are failing the most vulnerable in our society … our children."

Distribution of emergency food boxes remains relatively flat

During the 2005-06 fiscal year:

• An estimated 194,000 people each month ate meals from an emergency food box.

• Soup kitchens and shelters distributed 3.9-million meals.

• In addition, 80,000 people received food through other network programs.

The good news: For the first time in nine years, the number of emergency food boxes distributed to people who need food in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., did not increase substantially (less than 1 percent increase).

The OFB Network's 357 emergency food pantries distributed 755,000 emergency food boxes during fiscal year 2005-06 compared to 751,000 emergency food boxes in 2005. That is still double the number distributed in 1996-97 when welfare reform began.

"After nine straight years of often double-digit increases, this is, indeed, welcome news," Bristol said. "But it's still too soon to know if the number reflects a genuine decrease in need or the decrease in the amount of food available in the OFB Network. You may recall reading the numerous news stories last winter about pantries reducing distribution due to empty shelves."

The bad news: The amount of food available in the OFB Network for distribution to people in need decreased almost 5 percent – from 60.8-million in fiscal year 2004-05 to 57.9-million pounds in FY 2005-06. That's a decrease of almost 3-million pounds of food in one year.

"Our annual statistics paint a clear picture. Most of the decrease in food during the last fiscal year was due to a dramatic 26 percent decline – a drop of 2.3-million pounds of food – in U.S. Department of Agriculture product," said Bristol.

"This is a particularly significant loss because the food we receive from USDA is nutritious, pre-packaged, shelf-stable food," said Bristol. "We expect USDA product to continue to decline. We're working hard to try to find other major sources of food to make up for the loss," she said.

Of the 57.9-million pounds collected and distributed by the Oregon Food Bank Network, 66 percent came from food industry donations, 15 percent from food drives, 12 percent from USDA and 7 percent was purchased.

"Although we are proud of our success in helping families in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., we are disturbed that hundreds of thousands of people need emergency food in the first place," Bristol said. "We ask the community to renew their support in the fight against hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Wash. … because no one should be hungry."

About Oregon Food Bank

Mission: To eliminate hunger and its root causes … because no one should be hungry.

Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of the Oregon Food Bank Network, a statewide network of 20 regional food banks and 884 agencies and programs serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash.

Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then delivers that food to 20 regional food banks covering OFB's service area. Regional food banks distribute this food and additional resources from local donations to nonprofit programs serving low-income people in their communities.

Sixteen of the 20 regional food banks are independent charitable organizations. OFB directly operates the four regional food banks serving the Portland metro area, southeast Oregon and Tillamook County.

Those four centers distribute food to 340 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other programs helping low-income individuals in Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, Washington, Harney, Malheur and Tillamook counties.