Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is “when people don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.” and it affects as many as 47 million people annually in the United States (Feeding America, 2025). Many Americans relying on assistance from federal programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) face uncertainty during the government shut down. During the month of November it seems especially poignant to talk about this subject. Pew Research Center estimates 91% of Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, and traditionally this holiday is centered around family gatherings and food, lots and lots of food (Gramlich et al., 2024). Facing rising costs of food and loss of federal assistance programs, it’s not a leap of the imagination to consider the amount of stress heaped upon some of our most vulnerable community members. No person should have to go hungry.

What does all this have to do with the library? Well, libraries are all about the free and equitable access to information and resources. In this blog post you will find some local resources for food assistance as well as a list of books available at the Cannell Library that contain information about cooking on a budget and how to make your money go further at the grocery store.

Local Resources

The Penguin Pantry is a resource available to Clark College students. Follow the link to see their operating hours and information on how to donate to the Penguin Pantry to help others in need. They are an agency partner with Clark County Food Bank, which is available to everyone living in Clark County.

For those that live in Oregon, there is the Oregon Food Bank. There are also a number of religious institutions in the area with outreach programs and food assistance information and even more local businesses that are stepping up in this time of need to donate time and resources to feeding our temporarily struggling neighbors. Search your zip code on FindHelp.org to connect with food assistance services in your area.

Cooking on a low budget

Good and cheap : eat well on $4/day By Leanne Brown (Second Floor, TX714 .B78518 2015)

The one recipe recipe book, or, The artist’s friend By Christopher Dunning (ebook)

Eating better on a budget By United States Department of Agriculture (PDF)

The ultimate bulk buying cookbook : 120 money saving, family pleasing recipes By Jan Muller (Available through Summit)

Bread is gold : extraordinary meals with ordinary ingredients By Massimo Bottura (Second Floor, TX652 .B6685 2017)

The use-it-up cookbook : a guide for minimizing food waste By Lois Willand (Second Floor, TX740 .W548 1985)

Featured image photo by Penguin Pantry.

Feeding America. (2025). Hunger in America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/food-insecurity

Gramlich, J., Rotolo, C., & Silver, L. (2024, November 21). The vast majority of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, but their traditions and activities vary widely. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/11/21/the-vast-majority-of-americans-celebrate-thanksgiving-but-their-traditions-and-activities-vary-widely/