Regional food bank faces severe supply deficit as community need soars to record highs

By Shannon Weidemann on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories

NORTHEAST OREGON — Community Connection of Northeast Oregon (CCNO) Food Bank is confronting an unprecedented supply shortage as rising inflation, and the expiration of federal aid programs collide with surging demand across the region.

The food bank’s annual distribution has dropped to approximately 1 million pounds—down 154,000 pounds from last year and far below its typical baseline of 1.2 to 1.3 million pounds. Consequently, warehouse shelves are noticeably bare, and critical emergency cushions have been depleted earlier than usual.

A Perfect Storm of Shrinking Supplies and Growing Demand

The sharp decline in food stock stems primarily from the February 2025 termination of a Commodity Credit Corporation purchasing agreement. Established as a COVID-era initiative, the program effectively served as crucial inflation relief for local pantries, delivering roughly 280,000 pounds of food annually to CCNO. The program’s end left an unfulfilled gap of approximately 150,000 pounds.

While funding from the Roundhouse Foundation (covering 2025 through 2027) along with support from local organizations like the Lamb Family, Marie Lamfrom, Laura L & Martin Kelly, and the Barbara & Emily Knudson Foundations has provided vital relief, it has not fully offset the lost federal supply.

Meanwhile, regional food insecurity continues to climb:

1 in 6 Northeast Oregon residents face food insecurity.
1 in 5 children in the region experience hunger.
117% overall increase in people served across CCNO Food Bank programs over the past three years.

In the past year, CCNO distributed 19,900 food boxes and recorded 30,000 produce and grocery visits, with fresh produce accounting for 28% of all distributed food. Food bank officials note that while demand surges further during winter months due to high heating costs, usage rates have remained elevated year-round since inflation began climbing, and then increased further due to SNAP reductions.

Highest Priority Needs

To maintain distribution across its network of roughly 32 local programs, CCNO is appealing to the public for targeted financial and shelf-stable donations.

Monetary Donations: Direct monetary contributions offer the highest versatility, enabling staff to purchase missing key items each month to complement incoming shipments. Cash donations also help cover essential operational costs required to keep warehouse staff and delivery trucks running.

How to Support

Local residents can support CCNO’s regional food assistance efforts through several avenues:

Online Giving: One-time or recurring monetary donations can be made directly on the CCNO Website.

Grocery Round-Up Campaigns: Customer donations made through round-up programs at local Safeway (Enterprise, La Grande) and Albertsons (Baker City), and Walmart (La Grande) stores remain 100% local, funding food distributed across Baker, Union, Wallowa, and Grant counties.

Upcoming Food Drives: Local community coordinators are currently finalizing dates for upcoming holiday food drives and potential live grocery store donation events to boost regional inventory. Stay tuned for a list of the most needed items!