Meeting the Challenges of Food Insecurity in Lane County
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 W 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Lunch will be available for $15.
Topic:
According to the latest reliable data sources, about 16% of the residents of Lane County live in households with incomes at or below the poverty level. The proportion is higher in the urban areas. In the last point-in-time count, about 3,000 people were homeless in Eugene, and only 1,000 of these had shelters in supported safe spots. The Oregon School Report cards for local school systems report student poverty at rates much higher: 64% for Eugene, 88% for Bethel, and 95% for Springfield. For families with housing, the costs of everyday expenses have increased faster than wages, so keeping a roof over their heads often produces budgets with limited allocations for food. While “big picture” reports may indicate that our national economy is booming, at the household level food insecurity has taken up permanent residence at many addresses. In this program, representatives of three organizations that address the challenges of food insecurity will provide an overview of the situation and describe their work.
Since 1984, FOOD For Lane County (FFLC), a nonprofit food bank, has collected, grown, rescued, and distributed food through a network
of agencies and programs. It is Oregon’s second-largest food bank and a member of both the Oregon Food Bank network and Feeding America. It serves people living across Lane County. FFLC’s mission includes raising public awareness and advocating for long-term solutions to hunger.
Interfaith Food Hub is a collaborative project whose volunteers and donations come from many individuals, groups, foundations, and parishes that include First Christian Church, First Congregational Church, Temple Beth Israel, Sikh Gurdwara, St. Thomas More/Newman Center, Episcopal Churches of St. Mary, St. Thomas, and the Resurrection, and Central Lutheran Church. It evolved from a Sunday sit-down breakfast that served about 12,000 meals a year until COVID-19 made a format change to meals-to-go necessary in March 2020. In 2023, IFH served 73,000 bagged meals to participants in the programs of White Bird Clinic, HIV Alliance, First Place Family Center, Nightingale Community, Square One Village, Helping Hearts, Everyone Village, and the Garfield Safe Sleep Spot. It is one of many local volunteer groups providing food to those who need it.
Many schools in Lane County now have pantries where students and families can access food resources. At Springfield High School, students find comprehensive support at the Student and Family Resource Center to help meet their basic needs and connect them with appropriate community resources. The food offerings at the high school include fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt for students during the school day; weekend food backpacks; and family food boxes. The Center also offers personal items, toiletries, and school supplies, and free clothing is available to all students through the Miller Outfitters, a “free thrift clothing boutique” that has thrived on local and student clothing donations. These programs are aimed at attracting all students, in order to reduce the potential stigma of participating.
Speakers
Title: Student & Family Resource Coordinator
Organization: Springfield Public Schools
Website: https://shs.springfield.k12.or.us/families-and-community/family-resource-center
Biography:
Meredith Branch is the Student and Family Resource Coordinator at Springfield High School. She has held the position for three years, and in that time has initiated several resource-related programs for students, including a free thrift clothing boutique located in the cafeteria and a weekend food backpack program. As manager of a FOOD For Lane County partner agency, she also runs a school-based food pantry for Springfield High School students and families. She earned a masters degree in Public Health from Oregon State University and worked on women’s health-related grants for many years at the University of Oregon Center for the Study of Women in Society and Oregon State University School of Public Health.
Title: Education & Program Coordinator
Organization: FOOD for Lane County
Website: https://www.foodforlanecounty.org/
Biography:
Carrie Copeland is the Education and Program Director at FOOD For Lane County. Since 2018, she has led work in FFLC’s strategic planning and direction, collective impact partnerships, program evaluation, team development, and leadership. For three years, Carrie worked at Cornerstone Community Housing as a program director and manager of impact and evaluation. At Northwest Youth Corps, she served as Field Director, and director of the AmeriCorps Program and Operations. She earned a BS at Western Washington University, with an emphasis on environmental education, chemistry, and Spanish.
Title: Coordinator
Organization: Interfaith Food Hub
Website:
Biography:
Mary Leighton has been the coordinator of Interfaith Food Hub since May 2020, after having volunteered at Interfaith Sunday breakfast for several years. She leads one of the food preparation teams and writes grant proposals that supplement the income from participating groups. Mary retired from the position of Executive Director of Network Charter School in Eugene. Her career in education included teaching at levels from preK through graduate school and conducting education policy research across the country. She earned a PhD in education at University of Oregon.
