Two out of five children in Malheur County don’t get enough food, and a state task force wants to know how to change that.
The Oregon Hunger Task Force, created by the Oregon Legislature, is coming to Vale to learn about hunger.
“We want to figure out what’s going on,” said Sarah Weber-Ogden. She is co-executive director of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, which manages the state task force.
The event is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 11, from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Vale Senior Center.
The Oregon Hunger Task Force is required by law to report to legislators on what needs to change to drive down hunger.
Weber-Ogden said hunger has especially increased in rural Oregon.
“It’s extremely devastating,” she said.
She said the task force decided to meet in Vale because of the documented high levels of what is termed food insecurity.
The task force issues fact sheets for each county in Oregon, and its most recent provides a snapshot of conditions in Malheur County in 2022.
In that year, 12% of people in Malheur County experienced general hunger, compared to 9.8% for the entire state. Among children, general hunger was reported for 19% of children in Malheur County compared to 13.2% statewide.
“There’s a huge rise in food insecurity” in Oregon, Weber-Ogden said. “In rural communities, there is a darker truth being told by the data.”
She said food insecurity dropped dramatically in the state through 2019 but the rate has climbed, especially in rural areas such as Malheur County.
“This significant shift highlights the urgent need to understand the underlying causes of food insecurity in our rural communities,” she said.
For the Vale session, she said the task force hopes to hear directly from those experiencing hunger, such as single mothers with children.
“Many are making the choice between rent and putting food on the table,” she said.
The task force also wants to hear from community leaders on local steps to address hunger. She said the group wants to see if changes are needed in state law or state agencies to better deal with the issue.
The task force includes four state legislators. One is state Rep. Mark Owens, a farmer from Crane and a Republican. Weber-Ogden said Owens joined the task force “immediately” when there was a vacancy.
After such hearings and more research, the task force will present its recommendations to legislators. That is tentatively expected to happen during legislative hearings in December.
She said the Vale session was purposefully scheduled for a holiday, Veterans Day, in the hope that more people may be able to attend.
Anyone can attend the Vale session or they can register online for virtual access.
“We believe that the people most impacted by hunger hold the key to ending it,” she said.