What are food stamps?

The Food Stamp Program helps low-income households eat well by providing extra dollars to buy food. In Oregon, people get monthly food stamp benefits to buy food on an Oregon Trail card. It works like a bank debit card in the machines at your grocery store checkout. Your Oregon Trail food stamp card will come with instructions for using it.

Facts about food stamps

You do not have to pay for food stamps.

You may be able to get food stamps even if...

• You own your home. No lien will be placed on it.
• You are working full time or part time.
• You get unemployment insurance.
• You have a good car and money in the bank.
• You are going to school.
• You are a couple.
• You are living with others. 

You may be able to get food stamps if your income does not exceed:

* More than eight people, add $555 for each additional person.

* Income guidelines will be updated in spring 2009.

If you meet these income guidelines, you may still qualify even if you have resources like a home, car, or bank accounts.

Am I eligible?

For more information please call Oregon SafeNet, a health and human services hotline.

1-800-SAFENET (723-3638)

If you haven't had time to shop for fresh produce, a fully-stocked freezer will give you lots of options for a speedy home-cooked meal.

Healthy Frozen Foods
Frozen produce has all been blanched (cooked for a short time in boiling water) to add color and preserve its texture. Other than losing some water-soluble vitamins during this blanching process, frozen food can often be at least as healthy as fresh. It’s picked at the height of the season and frozen immediately—something that gives it an advantage to out-of-season produce that lingers in warehouses, trucks, and supermarkets before it reaches your kitchen. There’s also a wide variety of organic frozen fruit and vegetables to choose from.

Freezing Your Own Meals
One great time-saver is to make larger quantities of your favorite freezer-friendly foods and store them in serving-sized containers—just make sure they’re freezer safe. Heavy-duty plastic containers from takeaway can be re-used as can glass jars or plastic bags (as long as they’re marked for freezer use). Since moisture is the worst enemy of frozen foods, make sure everything is wrapped well; double- or triple-wrapping with plastic wrap works great for larger items such as cakes or pies. Food should be completely cooled before adding it to the freezer, but if you’re pressed for time, try cooling your dish over an "ice bath", literally a bowl full of water and ice.

Freezer Essentials
Some items that are handy to have on hand include: corn, spinach, peas, berries, peaches, chicken breasts, ground turkey, shrimp, won ton skins & puff pastry.

Freezer Guidelines
Although it’s one of the most effective ways to preserve foods, frozen items do go bad eventually. As a rule, fruit and vegetables will stay freezer fresh for around eight months, meat and poultry for three, and fish and shellfish for up to six months. Follow the expiration dates on packaged items and don’t be shy about discarding something from the freezer that smells or tastes off. Don’t try to re-freeze defrosted foods either—the texture and flavor will both suffer. To freeze something you’ve cooked yourself, keep foods slightly underdone so that you’ll avoid over-cooking in the reheating process. Mark the date that you add something to the freezer and follow the guidelines above for how long to store them.

Serves dinner every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

1545 Franklin Ave, Astoria

Phone: (503) 325-4691

Location:  Saint Mary's Star of the Sea Church

1465 Grand Ave., Astoria           Phone: (503) 325-2007

Days/hours:  Tuesday 1 pm - 3 pm; Saturday 10 am - 12 pm

Location: Clatsop Community Action office

364 9th Street  Astoria, OR  97103   503-325-1400

Hours:  M-F 9AM - 12PM; 1PM-4PM  personal hygiene items

Serves Sunday Supper on the first, second, third, and fourth Sunday of each month

Location: 120 Ocean Way, Seaside

Phone: (503) 738-6161

If you are a parent, you can easily recite the reason you pack your kids’ lunches every day: Brown-bagging it means that you can ensure healthy, balanced meals – and save money too. An added bonus is that you assemble those midday meals with love, making sure to include a few favorite goodies to show how much you care. If that’s the case, then why not take the time to bring your own meal to the office? Here are five ways to turn a kid-friendly spread into a meal fit for any adult: 

1. It’s all in the bread

Your daughter may be adamant about PB&J on white, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare your sandwiches with a variety of breads, including pita, whole wheat roles, bagel, or Kaiser buns. The same filling can taste dramatically different on decidedly grown-up rye or a croissant.

2. Dress it up
If you’re making a tuna sandwich for your kids, throw in some chopped walnuts and apples for your own. Add sautéed peppers and sun dried tomatoes for the heat-up-and-serve pasta marinara you pack for them or top a cheese sandwich with sour cream and salsa. Sending the kids off with popcorn as a snack? Add some Cajun spices for your own version.

3. Use grown-up condiments
Just because your son likes mayo on his turkey doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it, too. Try some honey mustard or cranberry relish on a smoked turkey sandwich for a distinctly epicurean taste. Local gourmet stores often stock uncommon toppers, including everything from Thai peanut sauce to Indian curry. While kids usually prefer to stick with what they know, adults know that variety is the spice of life – and of lunch.

4. Take a treat
No man (or woman) can live by bread alone. Make sure to include a snack or dessert that you love, whether it’s a package of sweet potato chips or almond biscotti to dip in your afternoon coffee. Packing at least one favorite item can keep you from feeling deprived.

Location:

Hours :Wednesdays 3-5:30 PM       Phone:  (503) 436-1222

Cannon Beach Backpack Program  (Supplemental Food Program)

Location:  264 Hill's Lane  Cannon Beach  OR  97110  503-436-2536

Backpacks are prepared every Friday

Location: First Presbyterian Church

1103 Grand Ave. Astoria OR 97103

Serves hot lunch on Monday and Thursday every week from 11 AM to 1 PM.

Location: 170 SW 3rd St, Warrenton

Phone: (503) 861-3502

Warrenton Builders Club Backpack Program   (supplemental food program)

820 SW Cedar Ave  Warrenton, OR  97146  503-861-3376

65 N Hwy 101, Suite 205 Warrenton, OR 97146

503-861-3372

Ten different sites throughout county - feeding developmentally disabled residents.

Location: Calvary Assembly of God

1365 S. Main, Warrenton

Astoria Senior Citizens Inc

open Mon-Fri for noon lunch

Location: 565 12th Street, Astoria, OR  97103     503-325-9693

Location: 3575 Highway 101 North Gearhart, OR 97138

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-2:30 PM

Phone:(503)717-0444

Location:  790 Astor Street Astoria, OR  97103  503-325-6103

Clatsop Behavioral Health registered clients

Location:  Calvary Assembly of God Church

1365 S. Main Street,  Warrenton, OR  97146   503-861-1712

Hours:  Wednesday at 6PM

Location: 880 Ave A, Seaside

Location: #10 6th Street  Astoria, OR  97103   888-353-3644

Hours: Mon-Fri 10AM-2PM  Emergency Food Boxes for pets provided to local food pantries.

Location:  76 Bond Street,  Astoria, OR  97103   503-325-5510

24/7 operation

Location: 88786 Dellmoor Loop Road

Warrenton, OR  97146

Hours: 3rd Saturday of the month 10am to 12pm

(or by appointment other days)

call 503-738-5182 between 9 and 4

Location:  62 W Bond Street  Astoria, OR  97103     503-325-6243

24/7 operation

Location: 42889 Old Hwy 30 at the Knappa Crossroads

Location:  208 Holladay Ave  Seaside, OR  97138   503-7317-0294

Drug and Alcohol rehab shelter program (men only)  24/7 operation

Location: Grace Episcopal Church 

1545 Franklin Ave, Astoria

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9-11:30 AM

Phone:(503)325-4691