Dear neighbor,

With Fall right around the corner, Lift UP is launching our Fall Food and Fund Drive! September is National Hunger Action Month, so it is a fitting time to begin reaching out to partner with our neighbors and raise food to fight hunger!

According to Oregon Food Bank, food insecurity has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic. Due to restrictions of COVID-19, food supply chain issues are making it more difficult than ever to source food for our community. You can help by joining our Fall Food and Fund Drive!

Lift UP faces more uncertainties around food sourcing than usual. Because 35% of our Delivered Food Boxes are customized to meet the specific nutritional requirements of our most vulnerable neighbors, we are asking for specific items to help deliver foods our clients can enjoy without concern or worry.

Our most wanted food items are:

• Low Sodium Foods – soups, canned vegetables, prepared foods (under 140 mg of sodium)
• Oatmeal, cereal, and breakfast items
• Canned tuna, chicken, and other proteins
• Canned or dried beans
• Peanut butter and alternative nut butters
• Reduced sugar canned fruits, vegetables, and sauces
• Shelf stable milk – dairy or dairy-alternative
• Whole grain pasta
• Brown rice
• Gluten-free pasta, snacks, soups, and breakfast items

There are a few ways to participate this season:

Host a Food Drive
Promote a date and time for food collection. Get the word out to your community, neighbors, fellow congregants, co-workers. Lift UP can provide barrels and digital signage to help promote your food drive. Download a Fall Food and Fund Drive Guide on our website.

To kick off the Fall Food and Fund Drive, First United Methodist Church, supporters of Lift UP and host to Preston’s Pantry, will be collecting non-perishable items Saturday September 12 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. 1838 SW Jefferson Street. Drive up and have volunteers unload your donation in the parking lot behind the church.

Collect Funds for Lift UP Food Purchasing
For every $5 donated, Lift UP is able to purchase food for 15 meals. Host a fund drive and collect “virtual” food for Lift UP! We can supply posters and stickers so you can measure the growth of your impact on hunger in our community.

Sasquatch Brewing teamed with Lift UP last year to host a fund drive. Lift UP provided posters with “pantry shelving” and stickers to track donations. The Sasquatch crew raised $500 to fight hunger in Northwest and Downtown Portland!

Make Donations through our Amazon List
Purchases made through Amazon are sent directly to our Northwest office location and distributed directly to our community. We keep the list updated with our most wanted items. Connect your Amazon account with Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase is donated back to Lift UP!

Lift Up would love to highlight our partnerships in the community. We will help promote your Food and Fund Drive on our website as well as social media channels. Just contact our Community Engagement Manager Brett at brett@lifturbanportland.org with your social media handles and hashtags!

Thank you for feeding our neighbors in a time of great need.

Sincerely,
The Lift UP Staff