Oregon Public Broadcasting

The feds have awarded Oregon a $1.7 million bonus, for being a national leader in relieving hunger.

Health Department spokeswoman, Patricia Feeny, says they’ve been working to get food stamps out to more people who qualify for them, and she says, this award will help.

Patricia Feeny: “Since it came as a surprise to our agency. We have not made a decision about what we’re going to do with it exactly. But what we do want to do is get the greatest investment we can on this so we can continue to support Oregonians and continue to reduce hunger.”

At the beginning of the decade, Oregon ranked high in food insecurity. It’s now among the top four states for distributing food stamps to the hungry.