Emergency food benefits for Oregonians to continue in November

By: Lynne Terry - October 28, 2021 4:10 pm

Most farmers markets in Oregon accept SNAP benefits. (Lynne Terry/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Most Oregonians who receive supplemental food aid will receive extra benefits in November.

Nearly 400,000 households will receive about $63 million in emergency aid as part of ongoing pandemic relief from the federal government, according to the state Department of Human Services.

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For more help on food assistance, housing or other needs, go to the Oregon Department of Human Services Covid-19 help center.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has allotted extra funds to SNAP recipients since March 2020.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency benefits to most SNAP households in Oregon,” Dan Haun, director of the state’s Self-Sufficiency Program, said in a statement. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In August, average benefits per person amounted to nearly $250 a month. On top of that, recipients got nearly $160 a month in emergency aid, the press secretary at the Oregon Department of Human Services said.

The emergency funds will be transferred to EBT or SNAP benefit cards by Nov. 11. New applicants will receive the extra money by Dec. 2.

For more food aid, residents can contact the Oregon Food Bank, call 2-1-1 or go to www.211info.org, a resource for financial, health and other services.

Any changes in income could affect benefits and needs to be reported, state officials said. You can do that by calling 800-699-9075 or TTY 711 or by reporting online at ONE.Oregon.gov.

More information about emergency allotments can be found here.

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Lynne Terry

Lynne Terry has more than 30 years of journalism experience, including a recent stint as editor of The Lund Report, a highly regarded health news site. She reported on health and food safety in her 18 years at The Oregonian, was a senior producer at Oregon Public Broadcasting and Paris correspondent for National Public Radio for nine years.