Julie Rubenstein
November 13, 2008

We’re entering that time of year when the specter of poverty, hunger and homelessness looms large. Our Pilgrim forebears knew this spectre, and at the end of this month we’ll all celebrate their deliverance from hunger as they struggled to help found our great country. Yet, great nation or not, there are still far too many of us still suffering the gnawing pangs of not enough food to eat. And it’s getting harder for even the relatively well-off to be charitable to those in need.

“If I had to pick one word to describe the picture of hunger in Josephine Coounty, the word would be ‘grim.’ We’re up to almost 10,000 people a month here accessing emergency food boxes. Half are kids, and half of the households have at least one person working full time,” says Susan Scheufele of the Josephine County Food Bank.

The hunger statistics here are indeed grim: approximately 6500 households in Josephine County (out of about 36,000 total, or 1/6th) earn less than $25,000 per year. Almost two thirds of those earn less than $10,000 and have dependent children living in the house. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 children don’t get enough food to eat.

10-15% of the clients served are receiving emergency food aid for the first time. Lost jobs, exhausted savings, foreclosed homes – all of the effects of the national economic crash are hitting especially hard here in Josephine County, which is already one of the poorest in the State of Oregon.

The picture is even more dire in that it’s affecting would-be donors too. At the same time needs are growing, resources are dwindling. At this time last year, $25,000 worth of turkeys and hams was available for Thanksgiving or Christmas distributions to the poor. This year? Negligible. The three Grants Pass Rotary Clubs are encouraging their members to purchase groceries from stores offering reduced-price or free turkeys when you spend a certain amount, and then donating those to the food bank or directly to the Christmas Basket program sponsored by Rogue Gateway Rotary.

The Josephine County Christmas Basket Program has given out groceries for a full holiday meal to thousands of families in need over the past 27 years. Last year it served over 2500 families at a cost of $77,000, but to do so it required dipping substantially into reserves due to declining contributions. This year, contributions are down even further, and the board has decided to aim at serving just 500 families this year just in order to assure that the program can continue into the future.

A major sponsor of the Christmas Basket Program recently pulled out, and the local Orowheat Bakery has stopped giving away its stale-dated products since being bought out by a Mexico-based corporation. Bread donations were a main staple of emergency food boxes, further straining the cash budgeted to cover purchased food.

Rotary members will be staffing a table at Gottschalks on “Black Friday,” (the day after Thanksgiving) starting at 5:00 am and running throughout the day, to collect donations for the program. They’re hoping that shoppers will remember the hungry as they choose their holiday gifts for family and friends. In this time of need, we all should.

How to help

Donations can be sent to Josephine County Christmas Basket Program, P.O. Box 1761, Grants Pass, OR 97528.

Local Food Pantries (all addresses are in the 97526 zip code unless otherwise noted)

Josephine County Food Bank, 1040 S.E. M. St., 479-5556

Reaching Our Community, 564 Foundry St., 476-3344.

FISH, 132 N.E. B St. (Many local churches accept donations for FISH)

Dorcas, 1360 N.E. Ninth St., 474-2179

Salvation Army, 2543 Redwood Ave., 955-1017

St. Vincent de Paul, 2757 S.E. Seventh St., 472-8579

Gospel Rescue Mission (women), 530 S.W. Foundry St., 476-0082

Gospel Rescue Mission (men), 244 N.E. E St., 476-0082.

Dorcas, 265 Old Stage Road, Cave Junction 97523

Life Lines Ministry, 480 South Junction Avenue, Cave Junction 97523