Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek recently announced philanthropic donors matched the state’s $6 million to help address food insecurity.
Kotek’s announcement comes on the heels of a federal government shutdown that left many people at least temporarily cut off from their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a May Day march organized by farmworker advocacy group PCUN in Salem, Ore., on May 1, 2025.
Alejandro Figueroa / OPB
In October, the governor sent $5 million to food banks during the shutdown, plus $1 million to the state’s tribes. She also declared a 60-day food security emergency. The idea was to have the state’s emergency department work with nonprofits and local governments to get more food out to people. The benefits resumed in November, but the shutdown highlighted the fragility of the state’s safety net, according to the governor.
The “fight to keep food on the table,” Kotek said in a statement, “exposed critical gaps in food security across the state.”
The governor’s emergency order mobilized the Oregon Disaster Funders Network, a philanthropic group started after the 2020 catastrophic Labor Day fires that helps raise money for specific disaster-related causes.
The effort raised another $6 million to send to food banks, local food pantries and community organizations across the state. About $4 million of those dollars have already been sent out, according to the governor’s office.
“We are able to respond swiftly and effectively to crises like these through coordination across the state,” Kara Inae Carlisle, president and CEO of The Ford Family Foundation, which contributed to the effort, said in an email. “We hope to continue conversations about how we can work together to support the communities that we all serve, including the rural communities throughout the state.”
There are more than 740,000 Oregonians who rely on food assistance. The average household SNAP benefit in Oregon is $313 per month, while the average individual receives $183 per month. And even before the federal shutdown threatened people’s ability to eat, the Republican-backed “Big Beautiful Bill” made significant changes to who can participate in the program.
One of the biggest changes for Oregonians is expected at the end of the year. The state will have new work requirements for people in rural counties to meet in order to receive their benefits. The regulations previously only applied to areas that had stronger job markets, such as Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
The bulk of the state’s residents who receive SNAP benefits live in rural counties. More than 54% of Oregonians participating in SNAP are in households with children, according to the state’s Department of Human Services.
For food resource information, go to needfood.oregon.gov or alimentos.oregon.gov. People can also call 211 for information.
