FOOD MATTERS! Shutdown impacts Coast Guard members SPRING 2019

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1 FOOD MATTERS! SPRING 2019 Furloughed employees receive food assistance during government shutdown. Shutdown impacts Coast Guard members When Oregon Food Bank was contacted by the U.S. Coast Guard during the partial government shutdown, we jumped into action, rapidly pulling together a mobile food distribution for the roughly 150 furloughed federal employees who work on Swan Island. Coast Guard members worked without pay and several shared worries about needing to stretch their budget. For many Coast Guard families, this was their first time accessing food assistance. You hear about it all the time and you never really think about it and how it affects other people. It s really an eyeopener, one attendee shared. In the past I ve donated to food banks; I ve never really been on this side of it, added another. Oregon Food Bank made a difference in the lives of people facing uncertainty, worry and stress. We served 101 households and 237 individuals that day. They chose items to best meet their individual needs and took home 2,200 pounds of produce and 1,100 pounds of dry goods. This is a huge difference-maker for our family, said one attendee. This food distribution is one example of how food banks across the country supported furloughed federal employees. It's also a poignant reminder of what we ve long known: that millions of Americans are literally one paycheck away from needing help to make ends meet. Thanks to your support, Oregon Food Bank is here for anyone who needs food assistance because no one should be hungry.

2 Food stamps (SNAP) remain critical to ending hunger In the midst of the partial government shutdown, Oregon Food Bank hosted Senator Wyden, Congressman Blumenauer, Congresswoman Bonamici, State Representative Tawna Sanchez and Kirsten Wageman from SnowCap, who all came together with a shared message that the shutdown was already increasing hunger. Food banks alone are not enough to replace critical federal nutrition programs. The federal government plays a key role in ending hunger. For every meal provided by the national Feeding America Network of food banks, SNAP provides 12 meals. Food banks simply cannot make up for the loss of SNAP benefits. To stay engaged with our advocacy work, sign up for action alerts at oregonfoodbank.org/advocate. IN REMEMBRANCE Tom Flood Jr. Oregon Food Bank is grieving the loss of Tom Flood Jr., owner/chef of the Schooner Restaurant and Lounge in Netarts, Ore., who passed away in January. For more than eight years, Tom organized the annual Schooner Thanksgiving Benefit for Oregon Food Bank Tillamook County Services. He involved the whole community through donations, volunteers, and sharing the holiday meal, which most recently raised $24,000 for hunger relief. He was a humble leader who was very committed to our community and helping people who experience hunger throughout Tillamook County, said Mis Carlson- Swanson, Oregon Food Bank Branch Services Manager.

3 Dedicated donor celebrates 100th birthday! Martha Butler (McDonald) grew up on small farms in Montana and Idaho. Although her family was poor, especially during the depression, she didn't realize it until much later because the farm always provided them with fresh, healthy food. Martha and her husband Stewart moved to Oregon with their family in Martha was a school teacher and later worked for the Veterans Administration. New Feeding America CEO visits Oregon Food Bank Oregon Food Bank was delighted to host Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the new CEO of Feeding America, for a visit in January. She joined 35 food bankers from 13 states visiting Oregon Food Bank for the first ever diversity, equity and inclusion training for food banks. Her story is particularly resonant for anyone involved in hunger relief: Claire is one of 108 siblings, raised by remarkable parents who grew their family through childbirth, foster care and adoption. I saw the ravages of hunger firsthand, as many of my siblings entered our home with visible signs of malnutrition, Claire shared. I will harness my learnings towards the passion of my life, the fight against hunger. Always active in the community, Martha has been a supporter of the Oregon Food Bank for several years. She says, "I have had a very blessed life, and I try to be mindful of the needs of others." Recently, Martha celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her children, grandchildren, extended family and a wide network of friends. KGW Great Food Drive kicks off March 1 Every March since 2004, the KGW Great Food Drive has helped feed the human spirit of our neighbors facing hunger. This year Tillamook, Safeway Albertsons, Rivermark Community Credit Union and local Toyota Dealers will join KGW and Oregon Food Bank to surpass last year s donations: $425,000 and 73,000 pounds of food (that's over 1.3 million meals!). Your gift of $10 will provide 30 meals to anyone who needs it through a network of 21 regional food banks and 1,200 food assistance sites. More information is available at oregonfoodbank.org/kgw.

4 Oregon Food Bank remembers Martin Luther King Jr. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the Day of Service In the months leading up to his assassination, Reverend King was busy organizing the Poor People s Campaign. He understood that civil rights were necessary, but insufficient, for creating equality and the beloved community that he dreamed about and gave his life for. Dr. King looked across America and saw people and families of all races, cultures and communities that were hungry, houseless, unemployed and underpaid. He began to organize a multiracial movement of people to dismantle the systems of inequality that created conditions of poverty for so many communities. have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists We are coming to ask America to be true to the huge promissory note signed years ago. In his last Sunday sermon, Dr. King spoke about the Poor People s Campaign bringing their concerns to Washington DC: We are coming to demand that the government address itself to the problem of poverty. We read one day: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But if a man doesn t Dr. King was killed before the campaign could realize its full potential. But, the Poor People s Campaign brought about an expansion of school meals and Head Start programs for children in the south, it caused the United States Department of Agriculture to release surplus food commodities to the country s poorest counties, it expanded the food stamp program and made the welfare system easier to navigate. And also importantly, it has served as a moral compass for the country ever since.

5 The Oregon Food Bank community, including our partners, supporters and volunteers, provides tremendous relief to people experiencing poverty every day. Through our collective efforts, 260,000 hungry people get access to healthy, fresh food each month. Although Oregon s rate of hunger is finally starting to decline, we still have one of the highest rates of hunger in the country. The work we do every day is necessary and critical yet insufficient. Our collective mission is to end hunger AND the root causes of hunger. Together, we work as hard as we can to make sure that everyone who is hungry has food today. At the same time, we are working to change conditions and policies so that hunger no longer exists. At the top of our agenda are some of the same issues that Dr. King and the Poor People s Movement were fighting for in 1968: increasing housing access and stability, increasing food security for communities and investing in safety net programs that buoy our families during rough times. Poverty is not inevitable. Hunger is not inevitable. Homelessness is not inevitable. In Dr. King's words, The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty. OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY At Oregon Food Bank, we hold people experiencing hunger at the center of our actions and decisions. We envision a community where each person can participate, prosper and have access to food that is both nourishing and in keeping with their culture. We recognize that systemic injustices exist such as racism, classism, and sexism and that these create and perpetuate conditions that sustain poverty and hunger. Understanding this, we commit to serve marginalized communities both urban and rural in ways that value who they are and their lived experiences. We resolve to listen to and include these communities in our work, and to respond where bias and inequities appear. We will confront oppression and poverty by developing solutions to hunger that are community-driven, honor a diversity of needs and value everyone. Our food programs and public policy efforts aim to build a society where everyone can thrive celebrating our differences and working together to overcome injustices that divide us because no one should be hungry. Longtime volunteer achieves 1,000 hour milestone! In January 2010, Kim Strand recently left her job and was looking for volunteer work. After browsing through the Oregon Food Bank website, Kim signed up for a shift. Since then, she s become a regular volunteer, visiting the food bank every Tuesday morning and participating in everything from perishable repacking to Fresh Alliance shifts. In January 2019 she completed her 1,000th hour of service. That is amazing that I ve put in that many hours, says Kim. It s just nice to know that I ve been able to help people out with all that time. Volunteering also allows Kim to develop friendships with other volunteers and Food Bank staff. It s nice to come with a group of other people and be able to share in feeding people and making sure that people aren t going hungry, says Kim. It s been a positive experience. It s nice to know that in the time that I ve not been working, I ve been able to get out and help people. Thank you Kim for your commitment to people experiencing hunger!

6 Did you know? You can support Oregon Food Bank through your will or trust. If you would like more information, call Jill Beidler at or her at Oregon Food Bank Network of Regional Food Banks Thank you for your generous support! Ameriprise Financial granted $15,000 to support Free Food Markets. First Interstate Bank raised $30,000 during their Civil War Football Series. Maxim Integrated donated more than $30,000. Tektronix raised over $41,000 through their drive. Wells Fargo donated $80,000. Operated by Oregon Food Bank Metro Services, PORTLAND Southeast Oregon Services, ONTARIO Tillamook County Services, TILLAMOOK Washington County Services, BEAVERTON Columbia Gorge Food Bank serving Wasco, Hood River & Sherman counties, THE DALLES Regional Food Banks ACCESS Food Share, MEDFORD CAPECO Food Share, PENDLETON And thank you to the following: The Autzen Foundation Avangrid Renewables B.P., Lester and Regina John Foundation Cambia Health Solutions Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Charter Mechanical Clackamas County Delta Air Lines Enterprise Holdings Foundation Feeding America, thanks to Red Nose Day Fund First Tech Federal Credit Union Fred Meyer Fund Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Hayes Family Foundation Knisely Family Foundation Kohl s Cares MJ Chelsea Fund, LLC Northwest Grocers ON Semiconductor PGE Propel Insurance Providence Health & Services The Renaissance Foundation S.L. Gimbel Foundation Safeway, Inc. Sarah A. Stewart Foundation The Schooner Restaurant & Lounge Shari s Restaurants Smart Foodservice USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program project Whitaker Ellis Whole Foods Market CCA Regional Food Bank, ASTORIA Clark County Food Bank, VANCOUVER, WA Columbia Pacific Food Bank, ST. HELENS Community Connection, LA GRANDE FOOD for Lane County, EUGENE Food Share of Lincoln County, NEWPORT Josephine County Food Bank, GRANTS PASS Klamath/Lake Counties Food Bank, KLAMATH FALLS Linn-Benton Food Share, CORVALLIS Marion-Polk Food Share, SALEM NeighborImpact, REDMOND South Coast Food Share, COOS BAY UCAN Food Bank, ROSEBURG YCAP Regional Food Bank, MCMINNVILLE oregonfoodbank.org (503)