At a tough time for food banks nationally, the annual mail carriers food drive that Food for Lane County usually holds in November isn’t happening. Instead, Market of Choice will host a food drive at its four Eugene locations from Oct. 9 through Nov. 30.
Food for Lane County’s Rebecca Sprinson said they’re also matching donations made at the checkout, up to $10,000.
She said this food drive is needed for many reasons. The end of the USDA program that donated food from farms to food banks amounted to an 18-20% percent reduction in their supply of donated food.
“This is an enormous blow to our donated food supply at a time when those foods are more needed than ever,” she said. “Not only does food insecurity surge in the winter when people are paying for increased heat in their homes, trying to provide a holiday period for their children, but also we're tremendously concerned about this happening alongside federal reductions to Food for Lane County's food supply from the USDA and cuts to SNAP.”
Sprinson said there are hundreds of thousands of people in Oregon who will be impacted by the cuts to SNAP.
“We’re really worried about the people we serve and in order to attempt to continue to meet need we are asking individual donors, businesses, and foundations to think about being as generous as possible,” she said.
Sprinson said Food for Lane County recently revamped its branding and website. The new website has a food finder tool which helps people find food assistance throughout the county.
