Dear friend,

With inflation driving food and fuel costs up, food and fund drives are more important now than ever. According to Feeding America, it’s costing families 10% more to buy groceries this year and food banks 40% more to purchase the same amount of food than in 2021.

We want to give our special thanks to all of our partners and supporters who helped to make our Spring Food and Fund Drive a success. Collectively between March and June, our community raised $11,432 and 2,372 pounds of food for our neighbors in Northwest and Downtown Portland. A special shout to Amazon who matched our fund donations for this drive.

 Amazon
Coach Washington Square
First Immanuel Lutheran Church
First United Methodist Church
InEight
Land O’Lakes
Legacy Health
Rose City Physical Therapy
Zion Lutheran Church

Adopt a Building Spotlight

Pictured Above: Cecila Estraviz, Operations Manager; Stephanie Barr, Executive Director; Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury (her mother is the namesake of the building); Gordon & Kathy Keane, Building Adopters; Nikki Director, Lift UP donor and volunteer; Christopher Espersen, Gretchen Kafoury Resident Services Coordinator

Our building adopters play a vital role in providing food security for our neighbors in Northwest and Downtown Portland. Their support ensures that 3,411 residents of 27 low-come apartment buildings have access to nutritious food.

Gordon and Kathy Keane, adopters of Gretchen Kafoury Commons, make it possible for 129 residents to access nourishing food in their building, whenever they need it. During 2021, the Keane's adoption made it possible for Lift UP to provide 69 Delivered Food Boxes and 1,100 pounds of food to stock the Emergency Food Closets for residents of Gretchen Kafoury.

“Many residents have physical and mental disabilities, and for them the proximity of the food closet means so much. They really, really appreciate the fact that they don't have to go somewhere else to get food because a lot of them would be unable,” said Julia Doty, former Gretchen Kafoury Resident Services Coordinator.

Is your organization or family interested in adopting a building? Click here to learn more.

Elephants Delicatessen Partnership

Tackling problems as big as food insecurity is only made possible when we have community partners like Anne Weaver, CEO and co-owner of Elephant's Delicatessen, willing to step up to the challenge. Elephants Deli is a certified B Corporation, which means they meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance and public transparency.

“Restaurants have the unique ability to help the communities we are part of,” said Elephants Delicatessen's CEO/co-owner Anne Weaver. “We can showcase our values through our business. This connection to our community helps our employees find deeper meaning in their work as well.”

Along with monetary support, twice a month, members from Elephant's team deliver Food Boxes, and stock Emergency Food Closets.

A Thank You to our Partners

When curating this week's E-News, I am reminded of the quote by Helen Keller. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Partnerships are so instrumental in the work that we do. From the individual volunteers who sacrifice their time to pack and deliver food boxes and work at Preston’s Pantry to the businesses to which we glean food and provide financial support.  Teamwork definitely makes the dream work and helps to ensure that our neighbors continue to have access to an abundance of healthy food.

Whether big or small, thanks to those who make it happen. It all matters

With Gratitude

Stephanie Barr
Executive Director

Food brings us together.