LEAH NASH PHOTOGRAPHY

STORIES | ESSAYS: Rural Poverty in Oregon

Located one hour southeast of Eugene on the western slope of the Cascades, Oakridge, OR has fallen on hard times. About 700 residents, from a population of about 4,500 in Oakridge and the surrounding area, visit a charity food pantry each month to pick up boxes of groceries worth $100 apiece. Two-thirds of public school students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, meaning their families are near or below the poverty line. About 260 of the town’s 1,200 housing units are single-wide trailers.
Located one hour southeast of Eugene on the western slope of the Cascades, Oakridge, OR has fallen on hard times. About 700 residents, from a population of about 4,500 in Oakridge and the surrounding area, visit a charity food pantry each month to pick up boxes of groceries worth $100 apiece. Two-thirds of public school students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, meaning their families are near or below the poverty line. About 260 of the town’s 1,200 housing units are single-wide trailers.