The Portland Food Project is celebrating a significant milestone in its mission to fight food insecurity in Portland. It recently surpassed 1 million meals’ worth (1.2 million pounds) of nonperishable food collected. Established in 2012, the Portland Food Project began as a commitment between 14 neighbors to purchase an extra grocery item each week to donate to two local pantries. In 2024, the 100% volunteer-run nonprofit has grown to a base of 1,500+ donors across the city, supporting 16 local pantries with an average of 18,000 lbs. of food collected and redistributed bimonthly.
Image Courtesy of: Portland Food Project
According to the Oregon Hunger Task Force, 11.5% of Multnomah County residents struggle with food insecurity, a third of them children. “Food insecurity is a largely invisible problem,” says Portland Food Project Steering Committee member Karen Beck. “It impacts a surprising number of our neighbors and a wide range of people: retirees having trouble making ends meet, individuals with disabilities or struggling with illness, single parents working more than one job, families struggling with layoffs or under-employment, as well as homeless individuals and families. For so many of us, hunger is just one illness or job loss away.”
To tackle food insecurity, the Portland Food Project aims to make food donation a simple, barrier-free process that empowers neighbors to help one another. New donors can sign up online to receive a welcome kit and the nonprofit’s iconic green grocery bag for collecting shelf-stable food items. Donors are encouraged to buy extra nonperishable items for the bag during their regular grocery shopping. Portland Food Project hosts green bag collection events on the second Saturday of every other month, with neighborhood-based volunteers collecting the green bags from their neighbors’ porches and dropping off a new bag for next time.
“The positive energy on collection day is a really special aspect of Portland Food Project,” says Julio Cristian Rocha, a Portland Food Project Steering Committee member. “Whether you’re shopping with your family to fill your green bag, running door to door to pick up donations, or helping to sort and distribute, there’s a shared sense of excitement. It’s very powerful to see the contributions stack up, knowing the difference this food will make in our neighborhoods.”
Portland Food Project’s goal is to serve existing pantries in every quadrant of the city, in as many neighborhoods as possible. They prioritize partnerships that can reach a diverse range of neighbors at locations where they feel welcomed and safe, from pantries serving LGBTQ youth to those serving immigrant communities. Distributing shelf-stable items helps ensure that pantry partners have food available to distribute throughout the month, with a robust variety of items that recipients can use to make nourishing, healthy meals.
“We are immensely grateful to the volunteers, donors, and pantry partners who have helped Portland Food Project reach this incredible 1-million-meal milestone,” says Beck. “Building community is central to our mission, and we believe that together, we can build a stronger community by sharing food with neighbors who need it.”
About Portland Food Project
Since 2012, the Portland Food Project has been supporting local food pantries by collecting non-perishable food in the Portland, Oregon, area where over 10 percent of the population faces food insecurity. The 100% volunteer-run organization has grown to encompass 100 Neighborhood Coordinators collecting food items from over 1,500 households across the city. On a bimonthly basis Portland Food Project collects over 18,000 pounds of non-perishable food which is distributed to 16 local food pantries. The Portland Food Project’s reusable green bags, where donors place extra items from their shopping trips, symbolize founder Richard Nudelman’s mission to bring neighbors together to help ensure everyone in the city always has enough to eat, one green bag at a time. Visit https://portlandfoodproject.org/.
Feature Image Courtesy of: Portland Food Project
