Community Member Dropping Off Garden Donation
Dear friend,
At Lift UP, we believe fresh food should be a right — not a privilege. While access is being threatened for many of our neighbors, together we have the power to protect it.
The USDA's freeze on food funding has left us facing over a 20% loss in the fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein that are essential to our mission. Shelf-stable items remain important, but it's the fresh food our neighbors request, rely on, and cherish most.
Fresh produce offers more than nutrition — it offers agency, healing, and choice.
Together, we can ensure our neighbors never lose that.
As one Preston's Pantry shopper shared:
“I live with diabetes and high blood pressure. The fruits and vegetables I get at Preston's Pantry literally help keep me alive. I wouldn't be able to afford them on my own.”
Another told us:
“When I come to Lift UP, I feel like I get real food — not just cans, but what I'd buy at the grocery store if I could. Tomatoes, greens, eggs, even herbs. I cook again. I feel like myself again.”
That's the impact of fresh food. That's what we're fighting to preserve.
You Can Help — In Two Simple Ways:
1. Grow to Donate
Have a garden, fruit tree, or CSA share? Pledge to donate any extra produce you grow this summer. Your harvest can put fresh, nourishing food back on someone’s table.
[Pledge your harvest here]
These donations are going to help neighbors from several partnering organizations:
William Temple House • Trinity Episcopal Church • PSU Student Pantry • OHSU Student Pantry • Urban Gleaners • Community for Positive Aging • St. Johns Food Share
Don't have a garden yet?
We've got you covered! Come by and grab a free tomato start and join the movement:
🌿 Take one. Plant one. Feed your neighbors.
📍 Pick-Up Times at Lift UP Warehouse
3448 NW Yeon Avenue, Portland, OR 97210
Saturday, May 31 | 10 AM – 2 PM
Monday, June 2 – Wednesday, June 4 | 10 AM – 4 PM
Whether you're growing one tomato or a whole row, your pledge helps ensure someone else gets fresh, healthy food this summer.
2. Become a Root Partner
Just $35/month supplies a full bag of fresh food — including produce, eggs, and dairy — to a neighbor in need. With 100 monthly donors, we can replace a quarter of the USDA shortfall.
[Become a monthly donor]
Fresh food is what sets Lift UP apart — and right now, it's what's at risk.
Thank you for being part of this community, for growing with us, and for showing our neighbors that they deserve more than survival — they deserve nourishment and the dignity of choice.
Grateful for your consideration,
Stephanie Barr, Executive Director
P.S. Don't have a garden? Share this with someone who does — your neighbor's backyard could help fill a neighbor's fridge.
Food brings us together.
