Hunger

The Oregon Food Bank distributed more than 104 million pounds of food in the fiscal year from July 2022 through June 30, an 11% increase from the prior year. High housing and fuel costs coupled with inflation have contributed to the hunger of tens of thousands of Oregonians.

Roughly one in 10 Oregonians doesn’t have enough to eat and food insecurity disproportionately impacts communities of color, families with children, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ communities. At the same time, 40% of food in this country is being thrown away, which is why a Portland nonprofit is trying to save that food and get it to people in need.

Participants in the federal food program might want to reevaluate their eligibility level for SNAP — and consider other assistance programs — as a pandemic-era supplement ends this month.

Rising prices and soaring demand show no sign of subsiding.

The pandemic caused historically high demands for food assistance in Oregon, demands that remained high through 2022.

Venezuela has just over five million pensioners, according to official figures. Annual inflation, which slowed last year but still reached 686.4%, has eaten up their pensions for years.

Ukrainian authorities in the besieged ruins of Mariupol say that about 300 people died when a Russian airstrike blew up a theater where hundreds of civilians were sheltering.

The City of Brookings, Oregon is being sued after the city passed an ordinance that prohibited St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church from serving more than two free meals a week to the homeless without a permit.

Across the country, supply chain issues are causing shortages in food. And Oregon is no exception.

International agencies warn that more than 1.1 million people in southern Madagascar urgently need food aid.