Dear friend,
Who Are Our Neighbors?
First Presbyterian Church is helping Lift UP respond to growing food insecurity by starting close to home.
Oregon is experiencing levels of hunger not seen since the Great Depression. Across the Oregon Food Bank Network, food assistance visits reached 2.9 million last year, a 51% increase in just two years, while the amount of food distributed last year grew only 5%. Lift UP is experiencing increased demand locally, too. In our most recent year, we moved more than 1 million pounds of food through our programs and partnerships to help meet the growing need.
Meeting that level of need takes more than food. It takes community partners willing to step up alongside us.
First Presbyterian Church of Portland is one of those partners. Just across the street are Alder House, Julia West House and Rosenbaum Plaza, three affordable housing communities that Lift UP Operations Director Cecilia Estraviz refers to as "the trio."
"I call that block the trio because it is a hunger hot spot and all three buildings are on the same block," Cecilia shared.
First Presbyterian partners with Lift UP at all three, supporting Adopt a Building at Alder House and Julia West House as well as community dinner programming at Rosenbaum. Together, their involvement shows what sustained, neighborhood-based food access can look like.
Some friends from Julia West and First Presbyterian from left to right starting with Julie, our volunteer manager: Theran, Karen, Dawn, Bill Resley and his sister!
For First Presbyterian member Bill Resley, that involvement grew out of a simple question the congregation began asking several years ago:
"Who are our neighbors?"
"We just had to look across the street," Bill said.
First Presbyterian already had a long connection to Alder House. The church was involved in the building’s development in the 1990s, and the land it sits on was once one of the church’s parking lots. Around 2019, the congregation connected with Lift UP and helped establish an onsite pantry for residents.
Over time, the relationship grew beyond food distribution.
"We've learned our neighbors' names," Bill said. "We know about their lives. We've learned that there are a lot of neighbors really close to our church, and we were much less aware of that until we began building relationships."
Today, the congregation's involvement extends across all three buildings.
"There are 52 apartment buildings within a five-block radius of the church," Bill said. "We figured we'd start with the closest."
That local commitment matters at a time when many residents are feeling increased pressure on their household food budgets.
An Alder House resident and Delivered Groceries recipient, shared how rising food prices are affecting her and her neighbors.
"One of the guys here goes to the store for me and $100 doesn't go very far, the way it used to. These days, we all get together and cook together. Maybe I've got some meat, you've got a side dish, you've got something else, and we all make a meal together. We're going to be a village here, and we're going to get through this," she shared.
First Presbyterian's involvement also reflects an understanding that food access does not look the same for everyone.
"Food insecurity comes in different forms," Bill explained. "Not everybody in Alder House has access to a stove or microwave, and not everyone is as mobile as we are. Sometimes serving a prepared meal is a way to make food accessible to people with different needs."
That is part of what makes dedicated community partnerships so important. Food access might mean delivered groceries in one building, a community meal in another, or volunteers who return often enough to build relationships with residents.
For Lift UP, partnerships like this help us remain a reliable resource during a time of increased need. To Bill, food provides an accessible way for people in the congregation to get involved.
"Everybody wants to serve in some way," he said. "When you say, 'I need people to help do something with food,' it doesn't have to be a big time commitment. It gives people an opportunity to be involved close to the church, in our community."
That willingness to start close to home is part of what makes First Presbyterian's partnership so meaningful.
"When I think about what it takes to respond to the level of need we are seeing right now, I think about partnerships like this one. First Presbyterian has continued to show up for the people living right next door, and by that sharing that commitment, Lift UP can say yes to more neighbors and remain a dependable food resource in our community." - Stephanie Barr
First Presbyterian shows what it can look like to step up locally, and there are many ways for you to do the same, on your own or through a workplace, congregation, business or community group.
Keep Choice on the Shelf this fall
Through our Keep Choice on the Shelf Food + Fund Drive, Lift UP is aiming to raise $75,000 and collect 25,000 pounds of food by January 1.
For some groups, getting involved may look like a deeper partnership like First Presbyterian's. For others, it might mean organizing a food drive, volunteering together, making a financial gift, or inviting more people in your community to participate.
However you choose to get involved, your support helps Lift UP keep nutritious, culturally relevant and diet-specific foods available for neighbors across our community.
At a time of increased need, I'm grateful for the people and partners who continue to step forward alongside us. First Presbyterian is one example of that shared commitment, and every gift, volunteer shift, and food drive helps strengthen our ability to be there for our neighbors.
With gratitude,
Stephanie Barr, Executive Director
Food brings us together.
