Not Enough To Eat

AIR DATE: Tuesday, April 21st 2009
POSTED BY: EMILY HARRIS
Photo credit: Listener42 / Flickr Creative Commons

People in Jefferson County are feeling it hard. One in four residents there uses food stamps — a jump of 30% in the past year. Demand for emergency food boxes is soaring too. The Oregon Food Bank says requests for food help went up as much as forty percent in the last half of 2008.

Who is hungry? According to OFB statistics, about a third of the households receiving food assistance have a member working full time. And 36% of the food help goes to children — so it may be no surprise that school officials say they are seeing more kids come hungry.

Advocates are working on a raft of bills (pdf) aimed at increasing help for those who need it. Food may be one of the last things to be cut from a family budget, but it's also an easy easy to trim. One less helping of noodles. One more meal of mustard sandwiches.

Are you currently receiving food stamps, or going to an emergency pantry for a food box or to choose from their selection of available food? Have you done so in the past? What led to you being hungry? How does not having enough to eat affect the rest of your life? What help worked well for you? What did not?

Do you help get food to people who need it? What do you do? What works well? What needs improvement? What experiences stick with you?

GUESTS:

Tagged as: food · hunger · recession

Photo credit: Listener42 / Flickr Creative Commons

Thanks for sharing. i really appreciate it that you shared with us such a informative post..

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jackiboa —

i am very sad to say that you don't have all of the facts about the akins...  they both have a serious drug problems and it has been going on for a good part of 10 years.  they are addicted to pain medication.  dave once told me that he intentionally makes his foot worse and does not take care of his diabetes, so he can get more pain medication.    they usually shoplift, sometimes stuffing the merchandise down the children's clothes and/or stroller (they have both been arrested on shoplifting charges) and then return the merchandise to get the money they use to buy drugs.  they have stolen from every family member, every friend, every church - they are masters at lying and deception.     last year, i was involved trying to help them with money and housing, and while they were at my home, they stole from me and my family.  i have pictures of where they were living and it is not pretty.  the kids were in dirty diapers and dirty clothing while both dave and stef watched on, both nodding off, completly high.  there was nothing to eat in the motel room so i took them to buy groceries.  the next day when i returned to help, they had even returned the food to the store for the cash letting their kids go hungry, so they could buy drugs. they both use the kids for sympathy and do nothing but neglect them.  save your kindness for the kids...

icantgivemyname —

very good post! keep up the good work.we need more good statements.
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kilt —

I'm a resident of Jefferson County, and this is a real problem. Unfortunately it's also not a new one. My county has been dealing with poverty for some time, and the economic crisis has accelerated a decline. I have started a Victory Gardens Against Hunger Campaign to help get produce to the food bank this summer. I welcome residents who want to participate.There is also a number of community garden projects beginning as well. We hope to have the Farmers' Market accept food stamps this summer and there will be a list online this month where you can get emergency boxes, and a hot meal during the week.

To find out more visit www.madrasmatters.org

What we need is to face the problem together and with goverment assistance, and our own tenacity we can feed Jefferson County. No one should be hungry in our community.

madrasmatters —

I was coming home tonight and I caught the tail end of the re-broadcast of the Think Out Loud morning show just in time to hear Dave Miller comment on the follow-up phone call he had made to Stephanie Akins, a previous guest from the "Not Enough To Eat" show and I was outraged by what I heard.

Mr. Miller was responding to apparently many comments made after the show regarding the Akins' desicion to have six children even though they were not able to adequately feed them. I can understand people asking this question, it is natural to wonder about such things. But, I see the question as a rhetorical one, or at least one in which every person should answer for themselves.

The reason I was so enraged is that Dave Miller actually called the Akins' residence and spoke with Stepanie's husband. Does Mr. Miller think he is doing his journalistic duty by responding to the listeners of the show and voicing thier concerns? Or by doing so is he acting as judge and jury? By calling the Akins', Mr. Miller questioned thier morality based on concerns brought up by people who disagree with thier decision. Moral questions should always and only be answered by the parties involved. I find it very insulting that Mr. Miller thought he had the right to even ask the Akins about thier choice to have six children. Even if they knew they were not able to support them adequately, it would still not be appropriate for anyone other than the Akins to decide that.  

Even worse, when Mr. Miller relayed Mr. Akins' responce (that they were financially secure when deciding to have six children and expected to be able to provide for them) it was almost as if they were off the hook so to speak - that making the decision to bear more children was morally justified. Would it not be morally justified regardless of thier individual situation simply because they decided it so? 

I listen to the show regularly and have always respected both Mr. Miller and Emily Harris for thier insightful comments and probing questions. But, I am very dissapointed that Mr. Miller crossed the line - going from journalism and treading into morality. Who are we, as a society, to say what is right or wrong for anyone but ourselves?

kristin —

I appreciate all of the offers of help and recitation of sources, I just think that we could do a lot better with preventing these kinds of problems in the first place.

I have started thinking that we have changed our political system from the ages of Monarchies and feudalism but our religions and our economic systems were created and developed under monarchies and are still "top down" type systems which need to be revised to fit our ideals of democracies, of "government of the people, by the people, and for the people".

Capitalism needs to be brought up to date, to benefit the real People instead of giant corporations which are legally fake people but have the rights of actual people.

Tom D Ford —

I'm a 53 year old woman with a progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis. Most people spend more in one week for their groceries than I recieve in Food Stamps for a single month.

Prior to my MS becoming disabling I hiked, exercised, ate healthy, took my vitamins, etc. There's no known cause or cure for MS.  I am not at fault for having this disease or its progressing to the point where I've had to stop working & depend on SSD & Food Stamps.

Not having access to enough healthy foods each month doesn't help my health. Stress causes MS symptoms to flare up & progress. Worrying about how I am going to stretch my Food Stamps each month is a constant stress factor. If I had sufficient funds to eat a healthy including fresh fruit &  vegetables it would make my life less stressful.

I must spend time using my limited energy to scour the Sunday newspaper for coupons, match them up to sale items then schedule Tri-Met Lift Bus rides to take me & my scooter to each store.

It was embarassing for me to go out in public using a cane, then a walker, then a scooter. It was hard to start using my Oregon Trails card at the grocery store. But, you know what? If you need help getting around or getting food in your belly, you get that assistance and get on with your life.

Pride will never fill an empty stomach and pride will never pick a disabled woman crawling to the store up off the sidewalk.

Anything can happen to anyone at any time in their life. If you can provide for yourself and your family consider yourself blessed.

So many people are losing their jobs, their homes, their friends, their money, their everything. They are finding the rug being pulled out from under them and they aren't sure how to get back up again. "What happened to my safety net?" they ask.

As for me, I never expected to see my life as it is now. But, it is what it is.

ChannahP —

Feed the Hungry, Inc. provides a hot meal (and more) every Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 2036 SE Jefferson.  Our guests are treated as such; all are welcome.

We are always looking for new cooking/serving teams from the Milwaukie area.  Firefighters, high schools, Rotary, area churches; all participate in the program. Your civic group, school, family or work group is welcome to join in this 19-year-old community- building, hunger fighting effort.

Call 503-653-5880 for more information.

Minderbinder —

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your moving story. What Stephanie said, is unfortunately, all too true.  We never know when we, too, could be walking in her shoes. 

I invite listeners to visit Oregon Food Bank's Web site www.oregonfoodbank.org in response to a number of questions Emily asked. 

* Need food? You'll find a list of food pantries and meal sites at OFB's Web site.  Or call 211 -another good resource.

* Emily asked about cooking. OFB coordinates a Nutrition Education program taught by volunteer chefs to help people who are low-income stretch food resources. OFB offers this through social service agencies.

* Emily asked about gardening. OFB encourages all gardeners to join Plant a Row and grow a extra for those who are hungry. Visit www.oregonfoodbank.org. Click on Volunteer, then Garden, then Plant a Row. You'll also find a map of agencies that can use your extra produce.

* OFB thanks Darren Ditchen and FEH for their donations. If you are a member of the food industry and want to help fight hunger, contact Mike Moran at mmoran@oregonfoodbank.org or 503-572-5401.

* Emily asked about food from food service. If you are a restaurant or food service with good food to share, contact St. Vincent de Paul.

* Emily also asked about gleaning. Visit www.oregonfoodbank.org. Click on Services, then Gleaning.

* Everyone can donate food through the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive on Saturday, May 9.   Place a bag of food out by your mailbox in the morning, Saturday, May 9.

* OFB thanks Amy Carlton and Teens Fighting Hunger for their work.  You can donate funds to fight hunger at www.oregonfoodbank.org.  Every $10 donation enables Oregon Food Bank to collect and distribute enough food to fill an average emergency food box.

* The OFB Network includes 20 regional food banks and 915 local agencies throughout Oregon and Clark County, including Portland Adventist Community Services, which you heard on the program. OFB encourages you to volunteer and support your local food agency or regional food bank. 

Jean Kempe-Ware —

I have a few things to say.  First I have huge Hugs and High Fives for the ypung woman, Amy, who took her knowledge and turned it into action.  I too have always had sympathy instead of disdain for those who are hungary in this "land of plenty."  I feel so proud of Amy for being proactive and I encourage her to follow that beautiful heart in all that she does.  Secondly, I want to tell the mothers and fathers using food stamps that I respect their need and appreciate that they will go to such lengths to feed there families.  I have known many people who use and have used food stamps and other welfare programs to survive.  I have also chosen out of pride to struggle, day by day, without using such aid, becuase at the time I was young, able bodied and childless.  The problem with many of those aid programs, and the tax system in general, is that in order to make a living wage, you often don't qualify for aid and this makes for difficult transitions back off of aid.  If only our capitalist sytem could allow for less poverty, period, after all America has so much to offer.  Peace and full bellies to you all!

eliza —

I have talked with Conservative Christians about things like this and they just consider it a matter of survival of the fittest, that the poor should just be left behind.

I brought up the Jesus teaching of "even as you treat the least of these..." and they said that they reject the Jesus teachings as just a "feminized version of Jesus".

Tom D Ford —

It makes me sad to hear about your conversations with Christians. I am sorry to say that those "Christians" you talked with (as well as many others) are misrepresenting the Gospel. Jesus did teach that we need to humble ourselves and give to those who are in need. The two basic commandments that Jesus taught was: 1) Love God above all, and 2) Love others as you would want to be treated. Sadly, those Conservative Christians you talked to are doing a horrible job representing Jesus Christ.

I want you to know, Tom, that there are Christians out there that love Jesus and love His teachings on serving others. They are representing Christ well.

peznut —

"It makes me sad to hear about your conversations with Christians."

Thanks for your reply.

I think that when most non-Conservative Christians people hear that someone is a Christian, they automatically assume that means a person who follows the Jesus teachings, and that is a wrong assumption. I posted what I did to point out the difference.

Conservatives claim that they are "saved" but they reject the Jesus teachings. It is a very odd disjuncture.

I realize that there are many people out there who follow the Jesus teachings which basically is the Golden Rule, that is the core teaching of most religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc, and it is also followed by non-believers.

I think it was Rabbi Hillel who said that was the whole of the Torah and all the rest was commentary, after he was challenged to recite the Torah in full.

You don't have to be religious to be a good and decent human being.

Tom D Ford —

I work in a Food Stamp office.  We call them Nutrional Supplements now.  We are doing "sudden service" in our district and I believe it is now state wide.  We are required to see a client within 1/2 hours.  I want to encourage ANYONE who thinks they may be eligible for the benefits to apply.  The income limit for one person is $1127,  I also want to push a program called Harvest Share, which we share with everyone who comes in. 

We also encourage people to use the resource line of 211 which can be dialed from any phone, to find any kind of resources.  You get to talk to a live person. 

prunella4 —

When I was a young Christian I helped deliver holiday "food baskets" to some families.

I had the experience of a families huge anger at being the object of charity. From then on only adults delivered the baskets.

That experience set me to questioning the very idea of Charity, of a political and economic system that reduces people to poverty and then shames them for their misfortunes. That is one reason that I am no longer a Christian.

I find it ironic that even Cuba treats it's poor better than the US.

Tom D Ford —

I'd like to first and foremost say thanks to TOL for having this discussion.  I'm not a regular TOL listener, but I heard this come on after the news this morning and stayed tuned.  It's an important issue and doesn't get talked about enough in a comprehensive and constructive way (clearly, I disagree with scottmil's comment).

My own connection to this issue is strong.  I am an AmeriCorps volunteer in a statewide program with about 20 other volunteers working in rural communities.  Most of us work on economic development and several of us are working on food security issues: one volunteer works with the Ontario Regional Food Bank mentioned in a previous comment, another is working on starting a farmers' market in his small town, and several of us have enough personal interest in food security that we are involved in local Community Supported Agriculture farms.

The grand irony: AmeriCorps volunteers are paid a small living stipend and are therefore encouraged to apply for food stamps.

In other words, we know whereof we speak on the issue of food security and I'm very appreciative to hear others speaking about the issue as well.  Good job TOL.

nkd6 —

I used to work in a restaurant and dumped alot of food everynight. I was wondering if there's any program that tries to collect these foods from willing restaurants?

pamin —

I am all for being compassionate on many topics, but this isn't one of them. I think the problem is overblown and exaggerated in Oregon. Quite frankly it is downright trendy to be homeless and hungry in Portland, it's part of the culture. Heck, I've even thought about trying it. Considering you can live longer on fewer calories, perhaps going hungry is what we all need. 

Obviously, I think people who are indeed starving should be fed, but I just simply don't believe it is a crisis in Oregon. 

scottmil —

When I lived in my van (for a couple years) I used a propane camping stove.

On another note, I'm all for social programs, especially food stamps, but your guest demonstrates a major problem that I don't think enough people are talking about: why did she have so many kids??

She said her and her husband came from a wealthy background so a lack of education is kind of hard to blame. I wouldn't be ashamed about using food stamps, if I were her, I'd be ashamed about how selfish and ignorant she appears to be for bringing so many kids to suffer in this already far over-crowded world. I hate to seem insensitive because I really am very much sympathetic to people livng in poverty, but I think someone needs to say something about this problem and any religions still telling people not to use birth control should be absolutely ridiculed until they get with the times.

funny, after i added this comment i noticed that a couple other people have said the same thing. I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this way.

thetruthis138 —

Back during the recession with George Bush Sr, my husband was out of work for almost a year due to the shipyards having no work.  We had 3 children under 6 and ran out of unemployment.  My husband took any work he could, but it wasn’t enough, so I went to see if we would qualify for food stamps.  The first thing I was asked was if my husband was in the home.  When I replied yes, they said he needed to leave immediately so they could give me food stamps that day.  I replied, the he too was hungry but since he was a “man” he wasn’t important and needed to go. They would rather he abandon us so they could go after him for support than to help to keep the family together.   I was also told that they would be putting a lien on our home so they can be sure they will be repaid, but if we moved into an apartment we would never have to repay the food stamps. I walked out in tears, feeling dirty because of the way I was treated, like a lazy, worthless person.  I truly hope that the people that run the food stamp program now are more thoughtful, considerate, and realize that many men are doing all they can to support their families and are not worthless people that should not be helped.

 

 

CJ —

Can Stephanie talk about why her and or her husband's family is not helping them? She said they came from wealthier families. 

Justyn —

I am also wondering about this. Stephanie told us that they visited with her step-son on Christmas Eve and said it was tough to tell him that they were homeless. Didn't her step-son ask them to live with him and his wife? Even if they lived in an apartment, wouldn't it be better to be a little cramped and sleeping on the floor of the living room instead of being at the homeless shelter?

My heart goes out to Stephanie and her family, along with others struggling to find food and shelter. I live in a small apartment with my wife and I wish we could give up the little space we have to invite a family with 6 kids into our home.

peznut —

This is horrible, but I have to agree with Cedar. Why do you have 6 kids? I can barely afford my own bills, but I am aware of that enough to ensure that I don't have any kids of my own. 

They provide free or very cheap birth control at Planned Parenthood- I hope that people who can't afford to feed their families realize that they should avail themselves of this service!

Yangro —

I do not want to sound insensitive, and I understand that some circumstances are out of some peoples control, but I can't figure out why your guest would continue to produce so many childrren if she cannot afford them?  I hear about this time and time again...I can understand it happening once or twice, but to keep having children when you know that you will have to depend on the state to support them baffels me. 

My husband and I have one child whom we struggle to raise by working alternate shifts, etc.  The thought of bringing another child into this world is not even an option for us because we know that we could not afford it, not to mention the environmental consequences of a growing population...

cedar —

We can't judge a person's need based on past history. No matter if there are one, two, five, or 12 children we don't know what the parents' financial situation was at the time each child was born nor do we know if their religion allows the use of birth control. We certainly aren't looking at a case of Octo-Mom Syndrome.

The children are here. If someone is successful, has 6 children then find themselves in need, what do you propose they do with whatever number of children you consider excessive? Feed two and starve four? Keep the picky eaters and give away the kids who have a healthy appetite?

There could be things going on in the life of the woman interviewed we aren't aware of and these things need to stay private. Their family may not want to help them. We don't know.

We can't assume everyone has a wonderful family ready to pick up the pieces and help out. This is simply not a reality in our society today. To argue that it is, is not being realistic.

No matter what faith you practice or what you believe, we each have an obligation to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Anybody can be that person who is less fortunate when they least expect it. No matter how many safety nets we may have in place.

Any net can develop a hole for us to fall through and the next net and the next may not be strong enough to hold us either. Shouldn't there be something below all of your nets to cushion your fall? And someone standing nearby to give you a helping hand up and some kind words of encouragement and a little push to get you going in the right direction?

Be thankful for what you have and pray others find what they need.

 

ChannahP —

The hunger / food availability crisis is spreading to middle income people, as gov spending programs increase, and wages decrease.

I pay $30 / day in tax obligations, and feed the family on $3.00 / day.  My current income is $4/day due to a recent layoff and being under employed.

Conservation is key, but irrelevant with large govenrment spending appetite.

We eat only 2 meals per day with no snacks in between, and certainly no coffee purchases. Don't eat (fast) at least one day per week and donate the savings to the homeless.

Be prepared, we haven't seen anything yet.

jwswamp —

My name is Peter Lawson.  I am the Branch Coordinator of Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank in Ontario, Oregon (a program of Oregon Food Bank).  We supply emergency food pantries and other allied programs in Malheur and Harney Counties-distributing nearly 635,000 lbs of food to 14 (and counting) different local agencies.

Geographically, Ontario itself is a small rural community that sits on the Oregon/Idaho Border (approximately 50 miles away from Boise, Idaho).  While our Idaho neighbors have seen a lot of growth (economic and otherwise) over the past decade, our region has been plagued by a chronic overall poverty rate of 18% and a childhood poverty rate of nearly 25%.  Additonally, recent unemployment figures show Malheur County at 12% and Harney County at just over 20%.  We are also hampered by a lack of Oregon Media as the Oregonian no longer delivers here and Oregon television stations are only available as a premium option by local cable providers.

While hunger is a challenge for our colleagues across the Oregon Food Bank Network, our region is particularly hard hit-seeing increases in demand for emergency food boxes jump more than 30% from 2007 to 2008 (the increase from 2004 is even higher).

In terms of those seeking assistance, the stories resonate with themes of hard choices to make (fuel or health insurance vs food is common), few living wage opportunities (we've had 5 major employers either close the doors or substantially reduce operations in the last few years), and few immediate prospects.

Thankfully, we have the support of Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Food Bank Network, and an AMAZING local community of caring citizens and volunteers who recognize that, with hunger affecting 1 in 9 families in the area, the people they serve are ultimately their friends and neighbors. 

Additionally, we have ongoing collaborations with many of our social service providers, the local Chambers of Commerce, Treasure Valley Community College, school districts, etc.  We believe that, in this day and age, hunger is not a problem of "us and them", it is something we must all work on together if we are ever to end hunger and its root causes in Rural Oregon and across the state...because no-one should be hungry!

-P

plawson —

I am in the group of people that fall into the underserved gap. I am a full-time student and my husband was laid-off from his engineering job a couple of months ago. We have three sons yet we still do not qualify for assistance with food stamps. Luckily I know how to cook from scratch so we get by since it's cheaper to purchase "whole foods" like rice and beans. We are also growing our own vegetables over the summer. We definately don't shop at the big chain stores, instead we shop at produce/discount stores that are family-operated so that we are also supporting other families in our community.

natdmitch royce —

Based  on the information you've provided here, I'm surprised you don't qualify for food stamps.  I strongly encourage you to call 211Info (503-222-5555) to double check your eligibility.

Jeff Kleen —

People can also visit www.oregonhelps.org online and enter their own personal information to use a self-screening tool that helps estimate eligibility for food stamps and other programs.

nancyjweed —

You may already have a panel lined up, but I could recommend possible insights from Pastor (Rev. Dr.) David Wheeler at the First Baptist Church downtown.  FBC operates a privately-funded (by the congregation and an old endowment from Senator Hatfield) "drop-in" meal program that serves >300 full hot meals twice weekly (>30000/year).  Some of the participants are truly homeless, others come occasionally as need dictates; nobody is turned away, and there are no religious requirements or proselytization.  It's a great program, and a good example of a needed service to the community.

FBC downtown is on SW Taylor between 11th and 12th, and the church office is at 503-228-7465.  Disclaimer: so an not to sound like a total shill, I am a member of this congregation. :-)

rck —

Comments are now closed.

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