Hunger Fighters Oregon has done too great at their job.
In August, we served 891 people facing food insecurity. HFO is a nonprofit all volunteer local organization ... we hired our first salaried person last July. Supposedly for just 20 hours per week but really, it is more like 20 hours per day!
Two key people have stepped down from their long held posts (I think because the job hours kept increasing until it was more than full time) and our Executive Director and our past President have kept this place running in these extreme conditions.
Inflation is sending us more clients. We offer 180 different food products as well as personal hygiene and cleaning products. Clients can shop in person (we are open for two hours three times per week) or I lead a group of callers who contact 3-5 homebound clients and take their orders on the phone and input as we chat. We deliver every Monday to about 25 homebound clients, some of whom are good with a computer and order their own 30 items.
Inflation, as you probably know, have made a huge impact on the cost of food. We get food donations at three locations, we get fresh food from local farms, we glean food from many locations and yet it is hard to keep up. Some items are in such high demand we can only offer them once a month. One problem we are facing is we opened our service area to a 10 mile radius. We are so well run and have such a variety clients come from everywhere.
Hopefully we will get more food drives, more corporate partners and entice more volunteers.
Support YOUR local food pantry. With food or with money to buy food. We can make a difference!
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