Dear friend,
September is Hunger Action Month, a time to raise awareness and take action to end hunger in our communities. For us, it's also a moment of deep gratitude for the partners, funders, and community members who step up every day to make sure our neighbors have access to food. Addressing food insecurity isn't just about filling shelves, it's about building resilience, equity, and hope together.
What a summer it has been! The food landscape keeps shifting and sometimes it feels like quicksand. As you may have seen in our updates, the USDA's recent Commodity Credit Corporation funding freeze reduced nearly 20% of Oregon's food supply for food security organizations. The impact was immediate — pantries across Portland and the State felt it, and the households that depend on them did too. Add to that new legislation reducing SNAP and other social services, and the need for food assistance is only expected to grow. And now, as we turn the corner into Fall, we're carrying forward the lessons of the season: the urgency of change, the power of resilience, and the strength that comes from facing these shifts together.
The past five years have brought big changes and challenges, but they've also reminded us of something essential: the strongest solutions are the ones we build together, close to home. That's why being part of the Coalition to Advance Food Equity (CAFE) feels so meaningful, and why we're grateful to do this work alongside such committed partners.
How CAFE Began
Over the last two years, Lift UP has been fortunate to be part of the Coalition for Advancing Food Equity (CAFE)—a network grounded in one simple truth: we’re stronger together.
We didn't set out to "form a coalition.” It began when the Zidell Foundation offered its space and hospitality for partners to gather during a time when COVID had left us siloed and stretched thin. That generosity sparked conversations that revealed how closely connected our work already was. We serve the same neighbors, face the same challenges, and know we can go further when we work side by side.
Today, that circle has grown into nine partners serving the Downtown/NW core and reaching across the Metro area:
Lift UP • William Temple House • Portland Fruit Tree Project • Urban Gleaners • Neighborhood House • Center for Positive Aging • Trinity Episcopal Church • OHSU Student Pantry & Moore Institute • PSU Student Pantry
Launching Our First Collective Project
We're excited to share some good news. Thanks to seed funding from a generous group of funders—Zidell Foundation, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, & Harbourton Foundation—CAFE has launched its very first collaborative project to stabilize our food pipeline and rebuild the local food supply chain with sustainability at the core.
This project includes:
Bulk food purchasing – pooling our resources so we can buy smarter and stretch every dollar further.
A shared gleaner – the person and vehicle who rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and ensures it gets to where it's most needed.
It's a model that turns crisis into opportunity. By working together, we're not only meeting immediate needs, we're laying the foundation for a stronger, more sustainable food system.
A Note of Gratitude
In times when the news often feels heavy, we want to highlight the good. Our foundation partners are stepping up in big ways, supporting our communities, helping feed our neighbors, and showing what it means to lead with generosity.
So, if you know someone connected to these foundations, take a moment to say thank you. They get it. And thanks to them, we can keep proving what we've known all along: we are stronger together.
With Gratitude,
Stephanie Barr, Executive Director
Food brings us together.
