Food for kids Backpacks: Testimonial

Working mom, Tammy, is grateful for nutrition from NWPM's Food for Kids Backpack Program. She and her daughter agreed to share how the program benefits their family.

For more information, click here. To donate by check, click here, or call (503) 221-1224 ext. 103. To see our current opportunities here!

Weekend Warehouse Workparty in March!

What: Come help us organize at the food warehouse.
When: Saturday afternoon, March 14th, 2009, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton, a green colored building with a green awning.
To learn more about the warehouse workparties and why they're so important to our Emergency Food Pantry, Backpacks for Kids and Community Share programs, click here and here.
If you’d like to work at the warehouse but can’t make it to a workparty, let us know and we can find a way to schedule something that you can do. Thanks so much!

Contact:
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org <=== click here!
(503) 221-1224 ext.105

The Need to Feed

CNN.com reports, the sagging economy is taking a bite out of federal school-meal subsidies as more students take advantage of free or low-price breakfasts and lunches. A non-profit group, the School Nutrition Association, says 425,000 more kids are participating in the national lunch and breakfast programs this year than last year. Click photo, left, or here to read more.
On the international side, actress Susan Sarandon talks briefly in another CNN report about what she has seen and her favorite hunger charity. "In my trips overseas I saw the choices people are forced to make. I saw how difficult it is to get a toehold to lift yourself up from poverty because you’re always struggling to feed yourself one more day. With a gift that helps them feed themselves ... they become responsible for helping lift up a neighbor through “Passing on the Gift” ... in their communities." Read the full article here or click photo at right.
Here in Oregon - where 75,000 children need emergency food in an average month - requests for emergency food are skyrocketing to record levels according to a recent article by the Oregon Food Bank. Meanwhile, Public News Service-Oregon reports our state has jumped from 18th in the nation to third in the most recent state rankings of food "insecurity." Read more here.

Volunteers Kick-off Community Share Program...

A huge "Thank You!" to the families from Springwater Environmental Charter School and other volunteers who came to NWPM's warehouse on November 18th!
With the energy and enthusiasm of these volunteers, we were able to sort, pack and distribute several boxes of food to many neighbors in need in our community. This effort represented the kick-off of our Community Share Program & Delivery of Community Share Food Boxes to ten locations. (More information about Community Share will be comming soon.)
Watch this quick video of the work "party!"

Please note! We will be doing another NWPM Food Pantry Workparty with service club volunteers from Lincoln High School!
When: Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13th, 2008.
Where: Two locations - (1) NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton, and (2) NWPM Food Pantry at 1808 NW Irving (First Immanuel Lutheran Church)
More Volunteers Welcome!
Contact:
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org
(503) 221-1224 ext.105

NCJW resuscitates emergency food-box program

In the photo at right, Zinaida Iskaliera selects bread at the food-box pantry. The photo is from an article by Jenn Knudsen, published in the Jewish Review. Jenn happens to be the daughter of Nikki Director who is NWPM's liaison from the National Council of Jewish Women. Nikki helped spearhead the volunteers to support the Nob Hill Business Association food drive back in May and is also serving on the auction committee.

"Thanks in large part to a substantial grant from the National Council of Jewish Women to Northwest Portland Ministries, Inc., its emergency food-box program is helping feed thousands of the working poor and their families, as well as the elderly on fixed incomes."
Read the full article here! - Jenn Director Knundson Photo