Oregon Food Bank: Ending Hunger for Good

Oregon Food Bank continues to reflect on a tumultuous year. The COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and the movement for racial justice, all laid bare the vulnerabilities of our under-resourced communities and have necessitated the need for real, meaningful, systems change. Today, 1 in 6 of our neighbors face hunger — a dramatic increase driven by the economic fallout of the pandemic. Despite the challenges of 2020, our passionate commitment drives us onward still. Last year we distributed over 101 million meals through our Network of 21 Regional Food Banks and 1,400 food assistance sites, which include food pantries, congregate meal sites, shelters and mobile distributions. The OFB Network sourced and distributed food to meet the needs of 1.5 million household visits throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington.

As we work to end hunger and its root causes, our momentum and drive have not faltered. OFB is actively improving services for people who are disproportionately at risk of food insecurity: communities of color, immigrants and refugees, single mothers, and people who are transgender and/or gender non-conforming. These constituencies face many, many more barriers to prosperity in every town, rural and urban. 

In order to cultivate systems change while also committing to distributing nourishing, culturally appropriate food, OFB is piloting new and innovative strategies and partnerships, including grocery gift cards; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Outreach; Free Food Markets (mobile distributions); School Pantries; Healthcare Partnerships; and Double Up Food Bucks, which maximizes SNAP benefits at local grocery stores and farmers markets.We are working to create equitable, sustainable food systems, and elevating BIPOC leadership through culturally-competent farming programs and small business development services. And we are amplifying community power and civic engagement by recognizing that those who have experienced hunger are they experts, and they must be the project planners, advocates, community organizers, food bank and agency staff, and volunteers moving this vision forward.

"As the saying goes, many hands make light work,” says community leader and Garden Ambassador Liban Satu. Liban is one of many leaders whose work demonstrates the power of community-led change, having worked alongside OFB staff to provide their communities with resources and knowledge during the challenges of last year. With your support, OFB will continue collaborating, advocating, innovating, and holding those who have experienced hunger at the center of our work. Just as Liban said to us: “there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Links:

• Link to Food Matters! Quarterly OFB Newsletter