Escalation: Changes to SNAP Requirements Increase Hunger

A new federal law has tightened Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules in Oregon. Most adults must now work, volunteer, or attend job training at least 80 hours a month, including parents of children ages 14 to 17, people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and former foster youth up to age 24. The age cap for adults without dependents rose from 54 to 64, those who fall short keep benefits for only three months, and refugees and asylum-seekers are no longer eligible.

Households losing SNAP are turning to local pantries in Umatilla County. Breadbasket in Milton-Freewater is seeing three to five new people each day it opens. Pantries are running out of food, and Weston’s pantry says the quantity and variety it receives from its regional supplier have been cut in half since early 2025.

The supply squeeze is worse because the Oregon Food Bank is receiving less food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It got about 17.5 million pounds in fiscal 2025–26, roughly 17% less than the 21.1 million pounds the year before. Rural pantries now get fresh fruit deliveries only once a month, and the produce lasts about a week.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources