Increase Food Security in Oregon

We surpassed the funding goal, to date!  

Thank you for supporting the Increase Food Security project.  We have been able to purchase and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food through your generous donations and company match efforts.  According to our donation page we met and exceeded our fundraising project goal in December 2011!  While this is great news, the need for emergency food continues to grow and there are so many loyal supporters that we didn't want this project to close and miss out on the relationship we are building.

Oregon Food Bank established our partnership with globalgiving in 2008 and launched this project in early 2009.  We had no idea what type of interest the project would attract so our goal was somewhat nebulous.  As momentum increased, we increased our goal…. A lot.  We can hardly believe it but we were able to surpass the lofty $75,000 goal by December 2011.   Again, Thank you!  Rather than closing the project and making a note that it is fully funded, we are raising our goal and keeping the project, which is the core of our mission, alive and on your radar.

Our project goal for 2013 is to secure an additional $50,000.00 to increase food security in Oregon.  Through our diverse network on globalgiving, we are confident we can achieve this lofty goal.

Thank you for all your support and interest in Oregon Food Bank.

Links:

• Comment on childhood hunger in Oregon

For the first time ever, distribution of emergency food boxes in Oregon and southwest Washington topped l million as growing levels of long-term unemployment forced more and more people to fall into poverty and to seek emergency food.

As daunting as the numbers may be, we did it.  The Oregon Food Bank Network was able to meet the staggering demand for food due to record levels of USDA commodities and the generosity of the entire community.

The Oregon Food Bank Network of 20 regional food banks and 923 partner agencies provided a record 1,024,000 emergency food boxes- a 12% increase over the previous year- to families in need from July 1, 2010 to June 30,2011.  Since the beginning of the Great Recession, food box distribution has increased 30 percent.  The OFB Network now distributes almost a quarter-of- a- million more food boxes annually than it did before the recession.

In tough economic times, helping people in need is more important than ever.  It will continue to take the support of the entire community to meet the growing demand for food.  Thank you for your continued support in our effort to eliminate hunger and its root causes.

Please note: On October 19, GlobalGiving.org is matching at 30% all online donations up to $1,000 per donor per project!  There is $100,000 available in matching funds starting at 12:01 am EDT.

Links:

• Press Release

It's a catch-22 reality for anyone who is trying to eat healthy on a tight budget: the healthier the food, the higher the cost.  According to a 2010 study published in the journal 'Psychological Science,' the cost of healthy food, including fruits and vegetables, has increased almost 200 percent since 1983.  The cost of unhealthy foods, on the other hands, has increased at a much slower rate.  The issue is challenging food banks across the nation to examine their sources of food and donor dollars to look for economical ways to increase the nutritional value of the food that is made available to clients.   With your support we are able to improve the nutritional content of emergency food boxes.  Thank you!

In response to this need, Oregon Food Bank is putting strategies and programs in place to bring healthier food to more people- a trend that is echoed by food banks across the nation.  These include our Learned Garden and Nutrition Education Cooking Matters classes, community food security outreach and our emphasis on securing more perishable food like fruits and vegetables.

"We are doing everything we can to become experts with the distribution of perishables," says Mike Moran, OFB's food resource development manager.  "Thanks to more partnerships with the agricultural community, retailers through out Fresh Alliance program and expanded storage capacity OFB procured and distributed 57 percent more fresh produce to communities throughout Oregon this year.  And we want to increase that year-over-year- it's our most aggressive growth goal."

Everyone- regardless of income level- deserves the right to eat a nutritious meal.  And with resourceful, strategic thinking by our partners, donors and staff, Oregon Food Bank is working hard to ensure clients have access to food that will nourish their body, as well as their future.