‘Hunger doesn't take a break': Summer food programs for families in need now available
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon families who receive free student meals during the school year have resources available to ensure food security throughout the summer.
According to , 94% of the state's public schools currently offer free meals to all students. The nonprofit helped secure new state funding to expand the free school meal program. Despite this, the nonprofit said there are still tens of thousands of children who don't have access to these programs.
As the school year comes to a close, families who already get free school lunches may be wondering how they'll keep their children fed.
'Every student deserves to know where their next meal comes from,' said Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Policy Advocate David Wieland. 'Hunger doesn't take a break during the summer.'
Fortunately, there are options for families.
Esquire names Portland bar among best in the US in 2025
The Oregon Department of Education has about its Summer Food Service Program, where families can locate hundreds of free meal sites across the state.
In addition, for the second summer in a row, the Oregon Department of Human Services is offering its . The grocery benefit program helps families buy food for their school-aged children when school is out. The single yearly payment provides $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries.
According to the , over 340,000 eligible children already automatically received the Summer EBT back in May, though some families still need to apply. The state said they expect up to 370,000 school-aged children will be provided with the Summer EBT benefits this year.
The program costs the state about $2.5 million in administrative costs. In return, Oregon receives $40 million in federal funding that goes directly to students. Despite this, Wieland said the work to combat hunger is not over.
Lyft pushes back against ride fee hikes in Portland
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon are hoping state legislators pass a bill to extend free breakfast and lunch to all students in Oregon.
The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 3435 back in March. It is now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee.
'If you want to call your legislator and urge them to make this a priority, we'd love that,' Wieland said.
People who are already signed up to receive SNAP, TANFF or OHP benefits should already see those summer grocery benefits on their account. If not, the State of Oregon has on how to apply.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Protesters gathering downtown for Chicago ‘No Kings' rally
Demonstrators have begun gathering in Daley Plaza for Chicago's 'No Kings' rally, part of a national slate of marches planned around the country to protest President Donald Trump's policies and agenda. Among those crowding into the Daley Center plaza Saturday morning were Theresa and Robert Hoban, retired attorneys who split their time between Chicago and Florida. The Hobans said they attended to support their grandchildren's future, and the throngs of others present for the rally gave them a sense of hope. 'We are doing this for our grandchildren's future because we believe the country has taken a turn for the worse under this administration,' Theresa Hoban said. 'We believe that standing up and people hearing our voices is the most profound way to get our message across.' As the crowd grew, loudspeakers near the Picasso statue blasted songs by Beyonce and Rage Against the Machine. The Chicago protest was planned to be one of more than 2,000 'No Kings' events nationwide, with organizers anticipating it would be one of the largest. Tens of thousands were expected to march from Daley Plaza and coalesce in defiance and admonition of Trump near the downtown hotel tower bearing his name. Organizers described the protest as 'a national mobilization to reject authoritarianism,' and was scheduled to begin with several speeches, including one from U.S. Rep. Jesús 'Chuy' García, a Democrat from the Little Village Neighborhood. There are also several other No Kings protests scheduled around Chicago, including ones in Evanston, Geneva, Naperville, Highland Park and Arlington Heights, among other suburbs. The protests, according to organizers, are in 'direct response to President Trump's self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools. 'Across all 50 states, communities will gather to declare: The president is not a king.' The downtown protest comes after a week of tension in Chicago, where city streets have filled in recent days in response to the Trump administration's actions in Los Angeles. There, Immigration and Custom Enforcement raids and the administration's deployment of Marines and the California National Guard have led to fiery confrontations among demonstrators, ICE agents and police. Earlier this week, in anticipation of a similar scene in Chicago, Johnson urged the city's residents to 'resist.' He described it as 'a necessary fight for all of us to be able to push back' against ICE raids and the specter of the mobilization of troops in the city. Planners said they intend to do just that. 'We could all just sit at home and scroll on our phones and be really worried about what's happening with our country, or we can go out and be in the streets and, very visibly, say we are not OK with what is going on with this administration,' said Sally Schulze, a spokesperson for Indivisible Chicago, which is organizing the downtown protest.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘No Kings,' eh? Where were those protests when Obama, Biden just made up policy?
It's heartening to see 'No Kings' protests planned around the country to object to a president's sweeping changes to immigration policy without congressional approval. They must have missed it in 2012 when President Barack Obama created, out of nowhere, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an action he took after stating publicly that he did not have the power to do so. And as they rally Saturday in Fort Worth, Arlington and hundreds more cities, No Kings protesters will be standing firm against a commander in chief's irrational and unilateral plans to spend billions of dollars, especially by stretching 'emergency' power. Oh, wait — that was President Joe Biden, making up authority to take student-loan borrowers off the hook and transfer their debt obligations to taxpayers. This protest movement isn't new. It's the same brand of garden-variety, big-government liberalism and social-justice warriors. In other words, the modern left. And it isn't really opposed to increased executive authority. 'No Kings' is a clever new way of framing the same old complaints about President Donald Trump. All of which is OK! It's just the framing and self-righteousness that are cringey. These protests are not a glorious defense of the Constitution, democracy and separation of powers. The 'No Kings' folks love it when a president uses his pen and phone, as Obama memorably put it, to enact policies that they like. It's unfortunate, but one thing that increasingly unites various factions in American politics is the idea of a strong president with a 'mandate' boldly doing the things these voters have wanted for years and telling the opposition: 'Mess around and find out.' (Given the vulgarity of our age, 'mess' is not exactly the word, but you get the idea.) Congress is an afterthought. Building up a coalition by changing minds, applying political pressure and compromising where necessary? That is soooo 1980s. Exploiting loopholes, defying courts and daring others to stop you? That's only authoritarian when the other guys do it. Executive power has been expanding for decades, and both parties have been pouring on the Miracle-Gro. The root of the protest is supposedly to present an objection and counter-message to the big military parade Trump has ordered up in Washington on the same day. It's a thin reed — as Los Angeles proves, progressives have been itching to get into the streets to denounce Trump. The 'No Kings' framing may look new, but it recycles beams and boards from every panicky Democratic response to Republican governance everywhere. Organizers contend that the military parade is an affront because it will cost tens of millions of dollars 'while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools.' Really — no money? In 2024 (the federal fiscal year), the Social Security Administration spent $1.5 trillion. SNAP, the food-assistance program, got $100 billion in federal money. Medicaid? In fiscal 2023, federal and state governments spent $880 billion. And public education? Revenue from all sources topped $878 billion in fiscal 2022. It's perfectly legitimate to agitate for more spending on this or argue against proposed cuts to that. But these programs are awash in cash and almost never see their funding go down. 'No money' is the kind of claim that, were it from the right, media fact-checkers would scrutinize to the penny. The Associated Press has already spent nearly 700 words on facts about the rallies but couldn't quite see this whopper. Another driver of 'No Kings' is deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. These righteous confronters of King Donald must have missed it when King Barack sent so many people home, immigrants-rights groups called him the 'deporter in chief.' In reality, the left craves its own form of authoritarianism. It wants an all-powerful government that can tell you what you can drive, what you can eat, how you can respond to your child's gender transition. It loves King Administrative State and King Bureaucrat every bit much as it dislikes Donald of Orange. Have a great protest, progressives. Express yourselves proudly, and best of luck turning it all into a viable political movement. Just don't pretend you won't be thrilled when King Gavin or Queen Kamala uses the same techniques you now decry. After all, they learned it from King Barack and King Joe. We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news — and to publish those views in the Opinion section. • Letters should be no more than 150 words. • Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. • Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: • Email letters@ (preferred). • Fill out this online form. Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic.
Los Angeles Times
12 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
What will happen to food assistance under Trump's tax cut plan? A look at the numbers
President Trump's plan to cut taxes by trillions of dollars could also trim billions in spending from social safety net programs, including food assistance for lower-income people. The proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would make states pick up more of the costs, require several million more recipients to work or lose their benefits, and potentially reduce the amount of food aid people receive in the future. The legislation, which narrowly passed the U.S. House, could undergo further changes in the Senate, where it's currently being debated. Trump wants lawmakers to send the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' to his desk by July 4, when the nation marks the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Here's a look at the food assistance program, by the numbers: The federal aid program formerly known as food stamps was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, on Oct. 1, 2008. The program provides monthly payments for food purchases to low-income residents generally earning less than $1,632 monthly for individuals, or $3,380 monthly for a household of four. The nation's first experiment with food stamps began in 1939. But the modern version of the program dates to 1979, when a change in federal law eliminated a requirement that participants purchase food stamps. There currently is no cost to people participating in the program. A little over 42 million people nationwide received SNAP benefits in February, the latest month for which figures are available. That's roughly one out of every eight people in the country. Participation is down from a peak average of 47.6 million people during the 2013 federal fiscal year. Often, more than one person in a household is eligible for food aid. As of February, nearly 22.5 million households were enrolled in SNAP, receiving an average monthly household benefit of $353. The money can be spent on most groceries, but the Trump administration recently approved requests by six states — Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah — to exclude certain items, such as soda or candy. Legislation passed by the House is projected to cut about $295 billion in federal spending from SNAP over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A little more than half of those federal savings would come from shifting costs to states, which administer SNAP. Nearly one-third of those savings would come from expanding a work requirement for some SNAP participants, which the CBO assumes would force some people off the rolls. Additional money would be saved by eliminating SNAP benefits for between 120,000 and 250,000 immigrants legally in the U.S. who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents. Another provision in the legislation would cap the annual inflationary growth in food benefits. As a result, the CBO estimates that the average monthly food benefit would be about $15 lower than it otherwise would have been by 2034. To receive SNAP benefits, current law says adults ages 18 through 54 who are physically and mentally able and don't have dependents need to work, volunteer or participate in training programs for at least 80 hours a month. Those who don't do so are limited to just three months of benefits in a three-year period. The legislation that passed the House would expand work requirements to those ages 55 through 64. It also would extend work requirements to some parents without children younger than age 7. And it would limit the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas that lack sufficient jobs. The combined effect of those changes is projected by the CBO to reduce SNAP participation by a monthly average of 3.2 million people. The federal government currently splits the administrative costs of SNAP with states but covers the full cost of food benefits. Under the legislation, states would have to cover three-fourths of the administrative costs. States also would have to pay a portion of the food benefits starting with the 2028 fiscal year. All states would be required to pay at least 5% of the food aid benefits, and could pay more depending on how often they make mistakes with people's payments. States that had payment error rates between 6-8% in the most recent federal fiscal year for which data is available would have to cover 15% of the food costs. States with error rates between 8-10% would have to cover 20% of the food benefits, and those with error rates greater than 10% would have to cover 25% of the food costs. Many states could get hit with higher costs. The national error rate stood at 11.7% in the 2023 fiscal year, and just three states — Idaho, South Dakota and Vermont — had error rates below 5%. But the 2023 figures are unlikely to serve as the base year, so the exact costs to states remains unclear. As a result of the cost shift, the CBO assumes that some states would reduce or eliminate benefits for people. The House resolution containing the SNAP changes and tax cuts passed last month by a margin of just one vote — 215-214. A vote also could be close in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats. Democrats did not support the bill in the House and are unlikely to do so in the Senate. Some Republican senators have expressed reservations about proposed cuts to food assistance and Medicaid and the potential impact of the bill on the federal deficit. GOP Senate leaders may have to make some changes to the bill to ensure enough support to pass it. Lieb writes for the Associated Press.
