The Grant Comes As Inflation And Economic Turmoil Are Poised To Increase Oregonians Need For Assistance
SM with apples Susannah Morgan.
Amid increasing demand for emergency food and rising consumer prices, a charitable organization granted its third donation to Oregons primary food bank network.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust this week announced that it was awarding $1.2 million to the Oregon Food Bank for renovation and expansion of its facilities in Portland and The Dalles. The purpose of the donation is to increase the Oregon Food Banks capacity for fresh, locally grown food storage and transportation.
This is the third and largest grant awarded to the Oregon Food Bank by the Murdock Trust. The first was $300,000 in 2016 for client data systems expansion. In 2020, the trust granted $350,000 for COVID-19 strategic funding.
The Oregon Food Bank currently operates a statewide warehouse in Northeast Portland, 21 regional food banks, and 1,400 pantries, free food markets, and meal sites in Oregon and Clark County, Wash. In 2021, over a million people visited Oregon Food Bank facilities for emergency food assistance.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was established in 1975 by the will of the late Melvin J. Murdock, founder of the pioneering Oregon technology company Tektronix.
Order Food Pantry Delivery Here
We will continue limited deliveries in the nearby SW area. To order a food box to be delivered please use the online order form or, please give us a call 246-1663 x5119. Delivery takes place during normal Pantry hours and is free to clients.
*Please note clients need to fill out a new order form for every delivery, up to twice per month.*Tenga en cuenta que los clientes deben completar un nuevo formulario de pedido para cada entrega, hasta dos veces al mes.*-
The Oregon Food Bank Shares How It Uses Portlands Transportation System To Move Millions Of Pounds Of Food Every Day To Feed Oregonians In Crisis
Hunger is a major problem in Oregon, with one in five people in our state accessing food assistance from the Oregon Food Bank in a typical year. The Covid-19 pandemic has made the issue dramatically worse and more Oregonians are facing food insecurity than ever. In 2020, the Oregon Food Bank helped provide food to 1.7 million people, twice its yearly average.
The problem persists, as one-million people sought assistance from the Oregon Food Bank last year, well above pre-pandemic levels. In a new video for the 2040 Portland Freight Plan by the Portland Bureau of Transportation , the Oregon Food Bank shares how their freight distribution system helps those in need and their hopes for a more sustainable transportation system in the future.
Providing an essential safety net to Oregonians is part of the Oregon Food Banks mission of eliminating hunger and addressing its root causes. Every day, Oregon Food Bank delivery drivers venture out onto Portlands streets and use our transportation network to provide millions of pounds of food to families in need.
To watch more project videos, learn more, or sign up for project updates, visit www.2040Freight.com.
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Guidelines And Resources For Donating Food
While steps can be taken to plan and prepare food carefully, sometimes leftovers and unused ingredients are inevitable. Food banks, pantries and meal sites can take some donations.Oregon consistently ranks among the top states in the nation for food insecurity – the inconsistent access to safe and nutritious food. By donating your surplus food you will feed people who experience hunger, preserve the resources that went into making the food and boost employee morale.
Food banks welcome whole ingredients or factory packaged items with ingredient lists. Other organizations and meal sites are able to take prepared foods produced by your kitchen. Food donations may also be tax-deductible under certain circumstances.
This guide to donating food can help businesses set up a successful donation program, learn about food safety, tax incentives and liability and know what foods can and cannot be donated.
The Food Pantry Is Moving And We Want To Hear From You
In 2023, the Food Pantry will move into a larger, more accessible space on Barbur Blvd, less than one mile from its current site in Multnomah Village. We want to create a space that best suits your needs.
Join us at a listening session with program and organization leadership:
Tuesday, June 7 at 4-5pmIn-person at the pantry garden Or via Zoom
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Our Commitment To Equity And Racial Justice
Oregon Food Bank holds people experiencing hunger and food insecurity at the center of our actions and decisions. Our commitment to equity and racial justice shares our perspective on achieving equity and our promise to be led by people with lived experience of systemic oppression and food insecurity in a shared effort to eliminate hunger and its root causes.We acknowledge that OFB has caused harm in the past by not fully centering people most impacted by hunger in our work and in the stories we tell. We acknowledge this with grief and humility, and understand we have much work to do.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Food Benefits To Receive 12 Percent Cost Of Living Increase In October
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits will receive a permanent cost of living increase of approximately 12 percent starting in October.
This means that people in Oregon who receive SNAP will start receiving more food benefits when they receive their October benefits.
Every October the federal government makes cost of living adjustments to SNAP maximum allotments. These adjustments are based on changes to the amount of money needed to support a basic standard of living. Maximum SNAP allotments are the maximum amount of food benefits that a household may receive based off its size.
As communities in Oregon continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and the rising cost of food, we know that many individuals and families are experiencing hardship and rely on SNAP food benefits to get enough healthy food for themselves and their families, said Jana McLellan, interim director of the Oregon Department of Human Services , Self-Sufficiency Programs. We are glad that our federal partners have made this cost of living increase to help people get enough healthy food. We also know that many people in Oregon are still struggling to meet their basic needs and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211, the Oregon Food Bank and their local Community Action Agency for support during this difficult time.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive the increased benefit amounts.
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Organize A Local Food Drive
Bring your community together and donate food for neighbors facing food insecurity. Oregon Food Bank is no longer accepting individual food donations, but you can create a local food drive and donate food directly to the organizations providing meals in our community. Whether youve organized a food drive before or youre just getting started, download our Food Drive Toolkit to learn whats new and how to help.
What We Aim To Solve
Hunger hurts children, families, seniors, veterans and the disabled. While the economy has improved for some people, we still have 1 in 7 neighbors facing food insecurity.Long-term unemployment, persistent underemployment and the high cost of food, gas, utilities and rent continue to plague people in Oregon and Clark County, Washington.Hunger starves the human spirit. Communities thrive when people are nourished.Oregon Food Bank and our Statewide Network of 21 regional food banks and approximately 1,200 food assistance sites help our neighbors facing food insecurity throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington.Food assistance is provided to anyone who needs it. Our Network ensures access without discrimination against any person because of race, color, citizenship, religion, reprisal, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity or expression, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran.
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