Organizing to end hunger is one tool groups are using in Oregon to highlight and address the issue.

Workers said advocacy is especially important in rural parts of the state, where food insecurity is higher.

Eddie Melendrez, southeast Oregon community organizer for Oregon Food Bank, based in Ontario, said pantry sites have seen increased need as food assistance from the pandemic has expired. Melendrez stressed people can make their voices heard on the issue of hunger.

"It's very important so folks kind of see the power that they have that they maybe didn't know that they did have," Melendrez emphasized. "And how they can take collective action to make change in the communities, to ask questions, to show up and to hold our elected officials accountable."

According to data released by Feeding America in 2022, the average rate of food insecurity in Oregon was about 13%. The rates were even higher than the state average in eastern parts of the state. In Malheur County, where Ontario is located, the food insecurity rate was 16 %.

Melendrez said organizing takes many different forms, such as holding workshops or forums and he meets people wherever he needs to for his work. He helps take people to Salem to lobby for legislation, to city council meetings to give public comments, and shows them the power of writing letters to the editor.

Melendrez added he reaches out to people who feel powerless.

"Try to make those connections to the folks that maybe are excluded or maybe are not included," Melendrez explained.

More than 100 organizations, including Oregon Food Bank, are pushing for the state to pass "Food for All Oregonians" legislation, which would open up food access for people of different immigrant statuses.

Sienna Kaske, lead campaign strategist for Oregon Food Bank, said the organization needs to collaborate with other groups who work outside the food space to end hunger.

"Whether you're working on housing, you're working to address health care injustices, there's always something around food that we can connect back," Kaske pointed out.

One proposed version of the next Farm Bill, introduced by the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee, would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by $30 billion over the next decade.

A competing Senate version introduced by the Democratic agriculture committee chair would keep benefits intact.

Carmen Mooradian, senior public policy manager for Hunger Free Colorado, said access to the program is not a partisan issue and it affects rural and urban families.

"SNAP is one of the most effective federal programs that exists to combat food insecurity and poverty," Mooradian asserted. "It's something that is used by Americans throughout this country to weather life's storms."

The House version removes a provision added to the 2018 Farm Bill which allowed benefits to be calculated in a way to consider the most current nutrition science and actual retail food prices. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, removing the provision would cut benefits in Colorado by $380 million.

Cutting food benefits may save money in a fiscal year but Mooradian argued it will cost taxpayers far more down the road in health care and other costs associated with poor nutrition. She added the program also contributes billions to state and local economies.

"Every SNAP dollar is returned into the economy," Mooradian pointed out. "It turns into profits for local businesses, for agricultural producers. When we stop investing in SNAP, those communities miss out."

Lawmakers extended the existing Farm Bill last year after failing to agree on a new version. The extension expires at the end of September, weeks before the General Election. Mooradian added there is still time for constituents to tell their representatives in Congress what they think.

"This is the opportunity for the community to really weigh in about the two proposals that are on the table," Mooradian urged. "And the impact that they will have on households if they pass."

The latest Maryland School Breakfast Report finds tens of thousands fewer kids are being served post COVID.

The end of pandemic era waivers two years ago saw schools revert to tiered systems of free or reduced-price meals based on household income. In turn, despite a slightly larger student population, the 2022-23 school year saw the average number of breakfasts served in a day fall by nearly 39,000, and saw 65,000 fewer lunches served, compared with 2020-21.

LaMonika Jones, interim director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, said reducing the reach of school meals, especially breakfast, takes a toll in the classroom.

"It's challenging for a student at any age to sit in the classroom and focus on what the teacher is trying to share when they're hungry. I understand the argument that it takes away from instruction, but the distraction of being hungry also takes away from instructional time," Jones explained.

The report shows the total number of breakfasts served in the state overall fell by more than 6.5 million in 2022 versus the year prior.

The report identifies barriers to school breakfast participation, including cost, time and the stigma associated with being on a free meal program.

Schools with at least 40% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals can opt-in to the state-funded Maryland Meals for Achievement program, which offers free breakfast to all students. While traditional school breakfasts are served in the cafeteria before class, Jones says MMFA is an alternative breakfast model that offers greater flexibility.

"Our students are able to either have 'grab and go' style, which works really well for our older students, or for our little ones, we're able to have breakfast in the classroom. And having those alternative models in place, as well as the funding to cover the cost of these alternative models, ensures that we're meeting that need," she continued.

This past year saw 588 schools participate in MMFA, up from 485 in 2019.


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School children in Arkansas are learning how to grow their own fruits and vegetables through the Farm to School and Early Childhood Education program offered by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

Across the state, 350 gardens serve as outdoor classrooms at schools and early childhood development centers. Teachers said tending to the gardens helps students with their decision-making, problem-solving and communication skills.

Jessica Chapman, coordinator of the program, said at the same time, students are learning about food, nutrition and agriculture.

"This can involve inviting a local farmer to visit the classroom for a discussion," Chapman explained. "We can help them create a taste test for the students to try a local fruit or vegetable, or we can help them by giving them the resources that they need to integrate farm to school concepts into their subjects."

Some items grown in the school gardens are used in cafeterias, and pantries. Four-H programs across the state also sell some of the produce to raise money for their program.

The Farm to School concept was started in Arkansas in 2019 and has been instrumental in getting locally grown food items into schools and connecting local farmers with the school districts. Farmers and school nutritionists recently met to discuss plans for future collaborations.

Chapman pointed out building relationships not only supports the local farmers and the economy but ensures children have access to locally sourced, nutritious foods.

"They were four regional events and we had them, one in Fayetteville, one in Batesville, one in Hope and one in Central Arkansas," Chapman outlined. "That was to directly link those school nutrition staff with the local producers and the goal was to boost the number of Arkansas school districts that purchase directly from a farmer."

According to the agriculture department, currently more than 35 school districts or early childhood education facilities in Arkansas purchase their food locally and almost 30 farmers and local businesses sell to school districts.


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