Oregon Farmers Wage War on Hunger
by Geoff Horning, ABC Executive Director

Oregon is starving. Literally. Coupled with an unemployment rate that is still hovering around eleven percent and a work force with reduced wages, the USDA has acknowledged that Oregon has the second highest hunger rate in the Unites States, behind only Mississippi.

According to Dr. Mark Edwards, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Oregon State University, food hunger is documented when “there are months when families have so little money for food that they worry over how they will feed their families and they began doing things like cutting portions, skipping meals, and serving foods that they know are less healthy.”

Unfortunately, the current state of the economy cannot be completely blamed for Oregon’s status, which is why a small group of farmers decided to make it their mission to end hunger in Oregon.

In 2004, Fred Ziari attended a meeting to address the state’s hunger problem. A 25-year veteran of agri-business engineering, Ziari was surprised to see Oregon was then listed as the hungriest state in America, with 25 percent of the population eating less than one meal a day. Imagine that. Oregon, a place with an abundance of fresh local foods produced by some of the world’s best farming operations, and more of our citizens are starving than any other place in America.

Inspired by a sense of community and an ability to be an advocate for the cause, Ziari was instrumental in rallying friends and colleagues throughout agriculture to fight hunger. Through their efforts and ingenuity, Farmers Ending Hunger was created with the intention of utilizing the productive resources of Oregon’s farmers.

Participating growers donate a portion of their farm production for distribution throughout emergency food networks in Oregon and southwest Washington. The Farmers Ending Hunger program is unique in that they are working closely with the urban populace to feed Oregonians. Through their “adopt an acre” program, anybody who wants to help fight the war on hunger can make a tax deductible donation that will help offset the costs associated with shipping and handling the food, as well as processing it for distribution

NORPAC has been a huge supporter of Farmers Ending Hunger, providing the charitable organization a significant savings in food processing. Like many ag organizations, NORPAC is committed to fighting the war on hunger. An example is a recent alliance with the Agri-Business Council of Oregon and the Oregon State Fair that will allow NORPAC to conduct a food drive at the entry gates of the Oregon State Fair during Labor Day weekend.

In March, the Tillamook County Creamery Association partnered with Portland television station KGW (8) on a month-long food drive to support the Oregon Food Bank in an effort to raise 1 million pounds of food. As part of their campaign sponsorship, the TCCA donated a penny per pound of every purchase of Tillamook cheese in Oregon and Southwest Washington, resulting in a cash donation of $30,000, or the equivalent of 150,000 pounds of food. Combined with a similar campaign in 2009, the TCCA has donated the equivalent of 293,620 pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank.

There is still a lot of work to be done, and these are just a few examples of Oregon’s agricultural community stepping up to fight the war on hunger. Today, throughout society, many applaud those who stand on two legs of the sustainability chair – economic and environmental responsibility. Often the third leg is forgotten, which is social responsibility. It’s refreshing to know that so many throughout agriculture have not.