Hunger and food insecurity

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines hunger as "a circumstance in which an individual unwillingly goes without food for an intermittent or extended period of time." According to a report from the USDA, 5 percent of Oregon households (175,235 people) were food insecure with hunger during 2000-2002, significantly greater than the national average of 3 percent.

The USDA defines food insecurity as "the limited or uncertain availability of safe, nutritionally adequate food that can be obtained in socially acceptable ways." In homes that are food insecure, Oregonians may have to cut back on meals and may fend off hunger by eating poor quality foods. These families are typically on the verge of running out of money for food. They may seek help from other places, such as food box programs, to avoid hunger. The percentage of households in Oregon who are food insecure is 13.7 percent, the seventh highest rate in the nation. About 512,000 Oregonians live in food-insecure households.