‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive boosts NeighborImpact
The biggest food drive of the year was a major success for NeighborImpact, thanks to our local postal workers.
On Saturday, May 10 th , local residents were asked to leave a bag or box of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes as part of the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Postal workers and volunteers collected 55,044 pounds of food, an increase of 5,000 pounds over 2013.
All food collected stays local
Over half of the food stays in the local communities where it’s collected. The food that made its way back to the Redmond NeighborImpact warehouse will be sorted and distributed to all three counties.
“The food collected will help supply our partner agencies with about 6-7 months of additional food resources,” says Sandy Klein, food resource specialist with NeighborImpact. “People often forget that families need to eat all year around, so this helps keep our food shelves full until our holiday food drives.”
Volunteers make a difference
NeighborImpact had dozens of volunteers help out from the Oregon Youth Challenge, Wells Fargo (Bend & Redmond) and Consumer Cellular. The postal workers get a big high-five for taking the extra time on their Saturday routes to pick up and deliver the food.
The NeighborImpact Food Bank Program is the regional affiliate of the Oregon Food Bank and distributes over 2.6 million pounds of food to 40 local agencies in Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties. Over 19,000 individuals are helped at emergency food sites every month during the year.
About NeighborImpact: Since 1985, NeighborImpact has been a leader in developing solutions and bringing resources to Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes County. The agency offers a diversity of services meeting basic human needs for food and shelter, while enriching people’s lives by providing access to increased education, skills, and hope for the future. NeighborImpact is a private nonprofit organization that receives federal, state and local funding; foundation grants; and donations from individuals and businesses in our community. To learn more about NeighborImpact please visit www.neighborimpact.org.
