In Lane County, 44% of households do not earn enough to cover their basic needs. This is according to Lane County’s 2016 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report. More than a third (37%) of Lane County residents qualify for an emergency food box (Census 2016).
Food assistance provides relief large and small to families and individuals facing hunger. To understand why people turn to us for help, we survey food pantry users. The Hunger Factors Survey informs and shapes our efforts to alleviate hunger. When asked how a food box helped, survey respondents offered many reasons. Here are a just a few.
- 63% of survey respondents say that when they add food they get from a pantry to their food supply they are able to meet their household’s food needs for the month.
- 59% of respondents say access to a food pantry allows them to prepare and eat healthier meals.
- Because they have access to emergency food, 33% of respondents are able to pay rent or mortgage, 37% are able to pay utility bills and 15% are able to get the medicine they need.
- 24% of respondents have more energy for work and family, and 12% are able to focus on a job search.