2008-09annualREPORTO R E G O N F O O D B A N K

Each year, a few special volunteers, donors and advocates rise to the top, demonstrating exceptional, long-term commitment to the fight against hunger. These are OFB’s hunger heroes, recognized each year at a special luncheon and awards ceremony.

OFB’s highest honor, its Founder Award, recognizes unwavering commitment for more than a decade. Last year, OFB presented Founder Awards to Fred Meyer for its participation and leadership in OFB’s Fresh Alliance program and to the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive (NALC) and its leaders, L.C. Hansen and the late Kelly Pendell. The NALC Food Drive is the largest one-day food drive in Oregon and in the nation.

Stone Soup Awards recognize substantial contributions for more than five years. OFB presented Stone Soup awards to volunteer George Austin, major food donor Amstad Produce, donors Nancy Black and Laurie Meigs and volunteer John Whittlesey.

Former board member Rick Jacobson received the Jerry Tippens Advocacy Award for his work to address the root causes of hunger.

Karla Wenzel Chair

Arnie Gardner Vice Chair

Marilyn Lindgren Secretary

Craig Vagt Treasurer

Gary Bauer

Paula Chavez

Jim Hensel

Aaron Howard

Ron Johnson

Philip Kalberer Immediate Past Chair

Rachel Bristol

Chief Executive Officer

Janeen Wadsworth

Chief Operating Officer

Ruth Walkowski

Chief Financial Officer

Annie Herbert

Director of Communications

Leslie Sampson

Director of Agency Relations

Jon Stubenvoll

Director of Advocacy

O R E G O N F O O D B A N KB O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

O R E G O N F O O D B A N KL E A D E R S H I P T E A M

Priscilla Lewis

Brendan McDonnell

Diane McWithey

Dave Pahl

Lisa Sedlar

Rhoni Seguin

E X O F F I C I O :

John Elizalde Program Manager EMO Northeast Emergency Food Program

Carmen Gentry Food Bank Manager Community Connection

OFB honors hunger heroes

Letter Carriers Branch 82 President L.C. Hansen (center) is joined by Chief Steward of Letter Carriers Branch 82, Jim Baxter (left), and Portland Postmaster Shawneen Betha (right) at the

2009 National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive. Hansen accepted OFB’s 2009 Founder Award on behalf of the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive.

• 1 •

ActionsA C T I O N SOregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization that serves as the hub of a statewide network of more than 935 hunger-relief agencies throughout Oregon and Clark County, Wash. OFB recovers food from farms, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then distributes that food to 20 regional food banks across Oregon, 16 of which are independent nonprofits. OFB directly operates the four regional food banks that, in turn, distribute food to more than 380 hunger-relief agencies in Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Clark, Malheur, Harney and Tillamook counties. Oregon Food Bank also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy and public education.

VisionV I S I O NEveryone should have ready access to an ample, nutritious, affordable and appropriate food supply through traditional, nonemergency channels.

MissionM I S S I O N To eliminate hunger and its root causes ... because no one should be hungry.

• 2 •

dearFRIENDS,We all know people who have been affected by the recession, and some of us may have family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues who struggled to put food on their tables as they lost good jobs, savings and cherished homes.

For Oregon Food Bank, fiscal year 2008-09 was a year without precedent. As unemployment in Oregon soared to record levels, distribution of emergency food and the number of people served escalated to historic highs throughout the OFB Network. We anticipate it may take years for people in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., to climb out of the deep hole of this recession. And some will never fully recover from their losses.

“This is the first time I’ve needed help like this,” said Liz, a mother of three children, after losing her job.

“I was sure I would find another job,” said Doug, a single father, who worked in a machine shop until he was laid off. “I had no idea how hard that would be in this rough economy.”

The number of people per month who ate meals from an emergency food box provided by member agencies jumped by 20 percent to a record high of 240,000 per month in 2008-09. In total, the OFB Network served an estimated 950,000+ individuals.

Distribution of emergency food boxes throughout the statewide network increased 14 percent from 785,569 in 2007-08 to a record high of 897,142 in 2008-09. In many parts of the state, emergency food distribution increased more than 20 percent: 31 percent in Klamath County, 28 percent in Washington County, 26 percent in Tillamook County, 24 percent in Columbia County, 23 percent in Josephine County and 20 percent in Clatsop County.

We were only able to meet this staggering demand for food through an unsurpassed outpouring of community generosity, donations from the local food industry and an increase in USDA commodities.

With your support, OFB received 36-million pounds of food for statewide distribution in fiscal year 2008-09, a 17.6 percent increase over the previous year.

With your support, the OFB Network received a total of 66.2-million pounds of food in 2008-09, exceeding the 64.2-million pounds we expected to need by 2012.

With your support, OFB purchased 7-million pounds of food to supplement food donations, a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

With your support, volunteer hours at OFB increased 28 percent from 72,924 in 2007-08 to 93,142 in 2008-09. That equates to 45 full-time employees with an estimated value of $1.5 million.

With your support, OFB continued to move forward to address the root causes of hunger, even in a tough legislative year. As a result, more low-income children will receive free school breakfasts and have health care. In addition, more eligible people received food stamps, bringing 724 million of our federal tax dollars back to communities around the state.

With your support, OFB’s Nutrition Education program and two Learning Gardens thrived. More volunteers and low-income individuals participated in OFB’s Nutrition Education program. And volunteer hours devoted to OFB’s Learning Gardens increased almost 40 percent.

With your support, OFB Board of Directors launched an $8.5-million “Fight Hunger, Feed Hope” Capital Campaign for Oregon Food Bank West to expand high-quality food recovery for Oregon and Clark County, Wash., and to address the high need for emergency food in Washington County.

This Annual Report pays tribute to the collective efforts of thousands of individual donors, volunteers, corporations, foundations and organizations who share Oregon Food Bank’s belief that no one should be hungry.

Thank you for your support and your commitment to ending hunger and its root causes.

With best wishes,

Karla Wenzel Chair, OFB Board of Directors

Rachel Bristol CEO

• 3 •

Albertsons donated 3-million pounds of food to OFB during fiscal year 2008-09 – making it the number one food donor within any single fiscal year. That’s enough food to help agencies fill about 60,000 emergency food boxes for hungry families.

Albertsons has been a significant donor for more than 20 years, with involvement growing yearly. OFB works directly with all 34 Albertsons stores in Oregon. All participate in OFB’s Fresh Alliance program. The program gathers nonsalable, nutritious grocery items such as meat, dairy, cheese and produce daily. OFB volunteers sort the food, which OFB distributes to local hunger-relief agencies within 24 hours.

Pacific Natural Foods – a collaborative partnership OFB and Pacific Natural Foods have concocted their own, modern version of the classic Stone Soup fable. Pacific Natural Foods, founded by Chuck Eggert, a former OFB board member, discovered a way to turn surplus ingredients into bulk nutritious soup. Pacific Foods converted seasoned potatoes, spices and non-fat dry milk into a ready-to-serve, creamy potato soup that OFB could send to hungry families through its network of agencies. What started in 2002 as an experiment has become a regular, sustaining partnership.

In 2007, Pacific Natural Foods decided to create special products for OFB – customized recipes based on available ingredients – on a regular basis. Armed with an inventory list of bulk, frozen ingredients, Pacific Natural Foods creates nutritious food for distribution to those in need. Throughout fiscal year 2008-09, the result was a full truckload of healthy, pre-packaged food, some 45,000 pounds nearly every month.

“We ask food industry donors: ‘In addition to donating food, are there other ways we can partner with you?’ “ says Mike Moran, OFB’s food resource manager. “We can make use of excess capacity, packaging and much more. Partners like Pacific Natural Foods are critical to our success.”

Food industry donations remain strong

“We work to make good, healthy food for people, and we don’t like to see any of it go to waste. By working with Oregon Food Bank, we ensure that no food is wasted and that we are helping others.”

Keith Cadwallader, warehouse supervisor, Amy’s Kitchen

“We also provide food from in-store food drives,” said Stacey Nelson-Kumar, community relations manager for Albertsons Intermountain West region. “And we support OFB with funds from grants and event sponsorships and provide turkey dinners for OFB to distribute to hunger-relief agencies during the holidays.”

What enables such a long-term, successful relationship? “It’s successful because it’s mutually beneficial,” said Nelson-Kumar. “Both OFB and Albertsons have a common goal of fighting hunger. Albertsons is happy to provide resources to help achieve that goal.”

Albertsons – OFB’s top food donor

In spite of tough economy,the food industry steps up to help

= 1 million pounds

0

5

10

15

20

08-0907-08

19.1 million

18 million

fiscal yearpo

unds

of f

ood

(in m

illio

ns)

Amy’s Kitchen donated 159,768 pounds of quality, organic food to Oregon Food Bank during fiscal year 2008-09.

Oregon Food Bank’s Fresh Alliance program received an infusion of food in the last fiscal year with the addition of its newest partner, Walmart. The superstore chain joins OFB’s longtime Fresh Alliance partners Fred Meyer and Albertsons (of which 100 percent of stores participate), Whole Foods, QFC, C&K Markets and Safeway.

Begun in 2002 with seven stores, OFB’s Fresh Alliance program collects nutritious, perishable food daily from its grocery partners in the Portland-metro area. Food is delivered to OFB for volunteers to sort and is often distributed to hunger-relief agencies within 24 hours. Since the program’s inception, it has kept more than 8-million pounds of nutritious food on the tables of people who are hungry and out of landfills.

As one of the largest retailers in the state, “Walmart is a great addition,” says Rachel Dueker, OFB’s food resource developer. “We’re seeing wonderful produce, dairy, meat and high-end baked goods, including wheat rolls and whole wheat bread.”

The new partnership rolled out in February 2009 with 18 Super-Walmart stores. In the future, the program will include a total of 33 Walmart stores throughout the entire OFB Network.

A local champion of the program is Dion Hess, market grocery manager at the Vancouver Walmart. “We’re involved with our communities on many different levels,” Hess said. “We have a sustainability goal of reducing waste by 95 percent. Now, rather than wasting food, we are helping the local community.”

“With the help of OFB, implementation was easy,” Hess said. “Our employees have been very receptive. There’s a lot of enthusiasm in doing something good for the community through this program. It’s a win-win.”

= 1 million pounds

0

1

2

3

08-0907-08

2.15-million

2.4-million

fiscal year

poun

ds o

f foo

d (in

mill

ions

)

Fresh Alliance brings in even more nutritious, perishable food

New partnership expands Fresh Alliance program

Walmart leaders presented a $275,000 check to Oregon Food Bank and announced it’s partnership with OFB’s Fresh Alliance program in November, 2008.

• 5 •

CCA Regional Food Bank Astoria

South Coast Food Share Coos Bay Linn-Benton Food Share Corvallis

FOOD for Lane County Eugene

Josephine County Regional Food Bank Grants Pass

Klamath/Lake Counties Food Bank Klamath Falls

Community Connection La Grande

Yamhill Regional Food Bank McMinnville

Oregon Food Bank – Washington County Services Hillsboro

Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank Ontario

Oregon Food Bank – Metro Services Portland

The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County Tillamook

Regional food banksO F T H E O F B N E T W O R K

ACCESS Food Share Medford

Food Share of Lincoln County Newport

CAPECO Food Share Pendleton

NeighborImpact Redmond

UCAN Food Bank Roseburg

Marion-Polk Food Share Salem

Columbia Pacific Food Bank St. Helens

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council The Dalles

Independent Regional Food Banks

Operated by Oregon Food Bank

• 6 •

Oregon Food Bank – Metro Services

Metro food resource developer connects with local donors

A new position at OFB is building relationships between food industry donors and metro-area hunger-relief agencies. Hilary Eyres joined OFB’s five-member food resource team as Metro Services Food Resource Developer in July 2008.

“We’re establishing relationships in all facets of the food industry and connecting local agencies with new sources of food,” Eyres said.

Eyres works cooperatively with donors and agencies to ensure that community resources are put to use quickly and efficiently, sometimes eliminating the need for the food donations to be delivered to OFB before being distributed to agencies.

Because of OFB’s network system, “agencies aren’t competing with each other, and OFB does not compete with its agencies,” said Eyres. “We are able to identify opportunities, make things easy for our donors, and most important, to quickly get food donations out to the people who are hungry.”

Programs and partnerships help regional food banks respond to increasing need for emergency food

The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County

Reaching out to kids

Among programs supported by The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County is an effort to provide food to children enrolled in the federal Head Start program.

“The Kid’s Pack Program allows Head Start children to bring home nutritious food for the weekend,” says Cari Clifton, program coordinator of The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County. “Food donated to the food bank is packed into reusable grocery bags for distribution to families.”

The program helps families stretch their food budgets. The bags, donated by Safeway in Tillamook, are filled by Head Start staff and volunteers and are sent home with the children every other Friday during the school year.

The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County also reaches out to residents in distant parts of the county, areas hit hard by the economic slowdown. People in these areas can be 15 or 20 miles from food pantries and other services, putting basic services nearly out of reach, Clifton says.

Clackamas, Clark and Multnomah counties

Tillamook County

Emergency food boxes distributed:

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

08-0907-08

278,898

317,898

fiscal year

Emergency food boxes distributed:

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

08-0907-08

7,612

9,633

fiscal year

• 7 •

Oregon Food Bank directly operates four regional food banks – Metro Services in Portland, Washington County Services in Hillsboro, Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank in Ontario and The Regional Food Bank of Tillamook County in Tillamook.

OFB – Washington County Services

Expanding access to meet the growing need

During fiscal year 2008-09, emergency food box distribution in Washington County skyrocketed 28 percent, double the statewide average.

“Washington County was hit particularly hard by the economic downturn,” says Laura Slocomb, OFB’s metro services assistant manager in Washington County. “There were huge job cuts in high-tech industries that left many Washington County residents unemployed and in need of food assistance.”

In response, OFB – Washington County Services began distributing food to eight new hunger-relief agencies and to three supplemental programs that expand access to emergency food in the area.

New programs include:

Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank

Getting the community involved

In the southeastern part of Oregon, residents step up to help fight hunger through events such as the MudFest Mud Volleyball Tournament, the Great Owyhee Ride and the Ton Plus One Food Drive.

Such local events are the result of outreach efforts by staff at the Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank to raise awareness of hunger issues in the region.

“These community driven events make a positive impact on our ability to serve our rural region and on the community’s ‘buy-in’ of our efforts,” says Peter Lawson, Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank’s branch coordinator.

Among other collaborative efforts is a program called RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) to improve community food systems in rural areas. It involves Southeast Oregon Regional Food Bank, AmeriCorps, The University of Oregon and OFB.

This work, in combination with OFB’s commitment to the regional food bank, has “enabled a very small, very conservative rural region like ours to evolve from limited services and access to a local network of agencies that move more than a million pounds of food through the community each year,” Lawson says. “These efforts serve thousands of people while expanding the conversation to find both long- and short-term solutions to eliminating hunger.”

Emergency Food Box pantries Abundant Life Church in North Plains Cornelius United Methodist Church Hope Pantry in Aloha Rock Creek Church in Portland Summit View Covenant Church in Beaverton Tigard Covenant Church Emergency Food Pantry

Meal sites St. Vincent de Paul Community Café in Tigard Tigard Covenant Church Meal Site

Malheur and Harney counties

Washington County

Emergency food boxes distributed:

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

44,231

56,745

Emergency food boxes distributed:

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

10,253

11,187

Supplemental programs Bethesda - Garrett Street in Tigard Luke-Dorf Inc. - Tigard Luke-Dorf - Connell House in Cornelius

Helping the helpers

OFB’s statewide services staff work to support the OFB Network of hunger relief agencies in many ways. One example is the Network Support Fund, through which OFB offers grants to help build the network’s capacity to respond to the growing need for emergency food.

If a food pantry distributes frozen foods and its freezer breaks down, it will need to be fixed. But what if those types of unexpected expenses aren’t covered in the food pantry’s budget?

The OFB Network of regional food banks and local agencies turn to the Network Support Fund for help with operational and emergency needs, travel-related costs and outreach.

• 8 •

Emergency food-box distribution reaches

all time high

0 2 4 6 8 10

07-08

08-09 897,000

792,000

fiscal year

number of emergency food boxes distributed

= 100,000 emergency food boxes

OFB Network Support Fund

“Thank you … our pantry now has the look of a neighborhood grocery store, which helps our clients retain their dignity. We are able to provide more food to clients every week.”

–Oregon City

Some examples of projects funded by the Network Support Fund:

• $2,500 for start up of a new pantry in Cannon Beach: refrigerator, freezers, shelving and scales.

• $3,100 for a truck lift-gate for Portland Adventist Community Services’ grocery collections.

• $750 for a freezer for the Alsea Christian Fellowship Pantry.

• $35,000 for commercial and home-style refrigerators and freezers for 18 Metro-area agencies.

• $260 for a cart and a freezer blanket for Triangle Food Pantry in Lane County.

THE NETWORK SUPPORT FUND IN FISCAL YEAR 2008-09

95 Number of projects funded

$250,000 Amount in the fund

Number of network agencies grows

0

200

400

600

800

1000

08-0907-08fiscal year

915 935

Volunteers Paul Pederson and Maureen Kee stand in front of one of two new freezers purchased for Brookings Harbor Community Helpers through OFB’s Network Support Fund.

Like many families, the DuBois family of Beaverton is busy each week with work, school, sports, friends and more. But they also find time to make volunteering a part of their weekly routine. John and Tara DuBois, and their daughters Cassidy, 10, and Abbey, 7, have volunteered at OFB since they moved to Oregon two years ago. Their efforts have afforded them the opportunity to meet new people, give back to the community and enable their children to experience the joy of service.

“It was our chance to get involved,” says Tara, an administrator with the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. “We volunteer on a regular basis, every Saturday morning. It’s part of our routine. We enjoy it. And OFB appreciates the girls’ help.”

The family checks in with volunteer coordinators in the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Volunteer Action Center each Saturday. “We go where they need us,” says John, an auditor with The Standard Insurance Co.

While the family repacks food, John will often tackle heavy lifting, stacking boxes and moving pallets. For young Abbey, “I like packing the apples!” For Cassidy, “The worst project for me is the potatoes.”

In addition to helping those in need, Tara and John value this chance to teach Cassidy and Abbey practical lessons about larger issues.

“Volunteering gives them a different perspective about life and human rights,” says John. “They ask questions and learn more about their community. Fortunately, we’ve never needed the food bank, but we appreciate that the service is available, especially now. What if we were in that position?” John asks. “We’re in a position to give back.”

Saturday morning family timefor DuBois clan

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

08-0907-08

6,358,853

10,160,616

fiscal year

poun

ds o

f foo

d

Volunteers process more food

Volunteer support of OFB grows

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

volu

ntee

r hou

rs

72,924

93,142

= 10,000 hours

(From left) John, Cassidy, Tara and Abbey DuBois repacking apples in Oregon Food Bank’s Maybelle Clark Macdonald Volunteer Action Center.

From backyards to rooftops to kitchen containers. In these difficult economic times, more people are learning to grow their own food thanks to education provided by OFB.

“We saw a huge resurgence in gardening during this last fiscal year,” says Rebeca Siplak, OFB Learning Gardens program coordinator. “More and more people want to learn how to garden in order to stretch their limited food budgets and increase self-sufficiency.”

In response, OFB made a variety of gardening resources available on its Web site. Volunteers devoted 2,600 more hours in OFB’s two on-site Learning Gardens in Portland and Hillsboro. OFB welcomed 151 at-risk youth to its gardens and took its gardening workshops to 23 social-service agencies.

OFB’s three Learning Garden programs (Dig In!, Seed to Supper and Cultivating Community) build awareness of nutrition and community food security and teach people

• 10 •

Number of low-income groups served by OFB’s

Seed to Supper workshops

Number of at-risk youth participating in OFB’s Cultivating

Community program

Pounds of food grown for hunger-relief agencies

Hours donated by Learning Garden volunteers

(for all programs) Learning Gardens respond to resurgence in gardening

how to grow their own food and to become more self-reliant. Program participants help build healthy, local food systems to fight hunger and its root causes.

During the last fiscal year, 1,360 Dig In! volunteers grew 12,175 pounds of food for local partner agencies and programs. Participants learned the entire growing process: seed starting, crop rotation, composting, cover crops, integrated pest management and organic methodology.

In cooperation with local agencies serving low-income populations, OFB offered Seed to Supper, its off-site garden education program.

Volunteers present the OFB-designed curriculum, which covers soil health, planting, garden maintenance, pests and diseases, and garden planning. And in the winter, the program offers winter gardening and container gardening classes.

Cultivating Community paired trained adult volunteers with at-risk youth through an entire growing season. The program integrated youth from shelters, treatment centers and juvenile court programs into the community and helped youth gain new skills, self-confidence and a sense of responsibility.

“I would love to see more and more people learn to grow their own food,” says Siplak. “I believe that the edible gardening movement is key to eventually eliminating hunger, and I’d love to see it continue to grow.”

0

5

10

15

20

25

08-0907-08fiscal year

18

23

0

40

80

120

160

08-0907-08

fiscal year

144151

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

11,084

12,175

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

6,786

9,386

= 1,000 hours

= 1,000 pounds

groups. An additional curriculum covers children and parents learning together. Students create meals and snacks using nutrient-rich foods while stretching their food budgets. Classes use Share Our Strength’s (SOS) Operation Frontline program curricula, developed for nonprofit organizations that want to offer Operation Frontline’s effective and engaging brand of nutrition education to families in their communities.

Marilyn Matusch retired from teaching at Reynolds High School in 2004. But it didn’t take this instructor long to find her way back to education.

Her daughter read in an article that OFB was seeking trained chefs for its Nutrition Education program, which offers a series of hands-on cooking and nutrition education classes for low-income community members.

“That did it,” said Matusch.

OFB’s Nutrition Education classes are led by trained volunteers. The classes challenge students to reconsider food preferences and habits. Participants learn cooking methods, nutrition, food safety, practical shopping and meal planning – skills that increase food security and quality of life. The program is presented in a series of seven different classes segmented by age group and designed specifically for children, teens, teen parents and adult

More volunteers get involved in the

Nutrition Education program

Career educator returns to teaching at OFB

= 10 volunteers 0 20 40 60 80 100

07-08

08-09

fiscal year

81

70

0

100

200

300

400

08-0907-08

• 11 •

Nutrition Education

Matusch took on the teen classes, both in schools and at OFB, and hasn’t looked back since. Since 2005, she has volunteered more than 300 hours, teaching 16 six-week classes, which qualified her for SOS’s Operation Frontline Hall-of-Fame status.

Matusch loves preparing each lesson for her teens.

“Teens are fresh, so to speak,” Matusch said. “A lot of them have eaten fast foods for the majority of their lives, and their parents aren’t home

to teach them a lot of cooking skills. They love to do things on their own and to acquire knowledge.”

OFB schedules Nutrition Education classes in partnership with community organizations and social service agencies. The well-attended OFB sessions boast an 87 percent graduation rate with more than 360 class participants. During fiscal year 2008-09, volunteers contributed 2,700 volunteer hours to the program.

• 12 •

OFB begins Community Food Champions OFB launched its new, grassroots Community Food Champions initiative to mobilize citizens as anti-hunger advocates. OFB trains champions on effective ways to influence change and calls its champions into action at key times to impact public policies that affect people with low incomes.

OFB efforts help increase USDA commodities The USDA commodities that OFB received almost doubled, returning to levels not seen for five years thanks to increased investments in the farm bill and in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding.

From advocating for free breakfasts for low-income kids to establishing gardens, Oregon Food Bank worked with elected officials, organizations and citizens to attack the root causes of hunger on multiple fronts. Here are a few successes that OFB supporters helped make happen during fiscal year 2008-09:

2009 Oregon Legislature Because hunger is an income issue, OFB advocates for public policies that provide additional resources for low-income households. Even in a tough legislative year, OFB successfully advocated:

• to protect the state General Fund Food Program (GFFP) from cuts. The $1 million per year of GFFP funds helps OFB to purchase food, regional food banks to build capacity to move food and local agencies to connect emergency food clients to additional resources.

• to fund free breakfasts for more low-income children. All students in households with income up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level can now receive free breakfasts.

• for health-care coverage for an additional 80,000 children and 35,000 low-income Oregonians.

• for an additional $15 million for affordable housing.

City, county governments establish gardens OFB worked with Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council, Portland City Council and Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to establish gardens at city hall and on county property to help people who are hungry.

OFB efforts increase SNAP participation OFB helped more people who are eligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps) learn about this important resource. Participation by those eligible for SNAP increased 31 percent in Oregon during the last fiscal year. SNAP helps low-income families put food on their table. It also stimulates the economy. Every dollar of SNAP benefits creates $1.73 in economic activity. In addition, OFB served on the Food Stamp Steering Committee to advise the Department of Human Services as it worked on a new, online food-stamp application process.

OFB helps defeat Measure 64 OFB worked with a coalition of charities as diverse as the Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Parent-Teacher Association and Earth Share of Oregon to defeat Measure 64, a measure that would have created barriers to OFB’s ability to raise funds.

OFB addresses hunger as health issue In partnership with the Childhood Hunger Coalition and Oregon State University, OFB created an online course to give the medical community tools to identify and help children and families struggling with hunger. During the 2008-09 fiscal year, close to 500 health-care professionals registered for the free course.

Food from U.S. Department of Agriculture increases

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

08-0907-08fiscal year

10.1-million

5.4-million

poun

ds o

f foo

d (in

mill

ions

)

Advocating for change

You helped reduce the root causes of hunger

Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival $495,697 91,192

Oregon Harvest Dinner $298,636 n/a

Canstruction $24,690 29,456

National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive $100,012 1,605,693

KGW Great Food Drive $650,740 434,575

Governor’s State Employees Food Drive $833,410 129,705

Project Second Wind, Portland Public Schools $48,744 45,629

Project Second Wind, Washington County Schools $1,428 13,157

POUNDSEVENT DOLLARS OF FOOD

Hula dancing, fishing, frozen yogurt and more. These are just a few examples of the many ways in which creative community members helped to fight hunger during fiscal year 2008-09.

Along with major fundraising events such as the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, KGW’s Great Food Drive, Project Second Wind, Cans Film Festival and National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive, hundreds of individuals, families, workplaces and groups hosted

and organized small food and fund drives in an effort to fight hunger in Oregon and southwest Washington. These small drives raise from $10 to $10,000 in many creative ways.

Active Culture Frozen Yogurt offered its customers a free frozen yogurt when they donated two cans of food. For a $25 donation to OFB, dancers offered hula lessons during an event they called “Hula for Moola.”

On the coast, a fishing tournament, the Oregon Tuna Classic, raises money for Oregon Food Bank. The fish are donated to food banks in Tillamook,

Coos Bay and Astoria. Since 2006, more than 25,700 pounds of fish and $83,000 dollars have been donated.

Employees of Daimler Trucks, Wells Fargo, New Edge Networks and many other businesses ran successful office food and fund drives.

We thank the entire community for its efforts to raise food and funds to help fight hunger.

Food and fund drives raise awareness and support

Community support grows

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

2,107,0671,931,792

Pounds of food collected through food drives

Number of community food and fund drives

0

250

500

750

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,750

2,000

08-0907-08fiscal year

1,551

1,801

= 250 food drives

Results from major OFB events during fiscal year 08-09

In hard times, we lean on each other. For OFB, the recession brought about strong, new alliances in fiscal year 2008-09, including partnerships with the Oregon Business Council and the United Way Community Relief Fund.

The Oregon Business Council created the Oregon Business Hunger Initiative, which unites business leaders in the fight against hunger through financial support, program development and public policy advocacy.

Through this initiative, 25 businesses made significant legislative efforts to support an increase to the state’s earned income tax credit. Businesses also supported OFB with funds to purchase bulk food and to support several summer food programs in the Portland area.

“The initiative was an exciting opportunity to involve business in lending support, both financially and in long-term, public policy efforts,” said Rachel Bristol, Oregon

Oregon Business Hunger Initiative Donors

Columbia Sportswear Company

Linda Crawford

Kaiser Permanente

Kalberer Company

James Litchfield

Lovejoy Surgicenter, Inc.

Marylhurst University

NW Natural

Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Pacific Power – PacifiCorp

Lynn Portwood-Warinner

Schnitzer Steel

Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, P.C.

Stoel Rives LLP Attorneys at Law

Kim Wingate

Support for Oregon Food Bank

grows, even in difficult times

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

07-08

08-09 34,840

28,987

fiscal year

number of donors

Tough times forge new alliances

Food Bank’s CEO. “The initiative has an amazing upside, and we’re look forward to growing the relationship.”

Another project, the Community Relief Fund was created to leverage donations to provide basic needs to families hit hardest by the economic recession. “United Way’s board created the fund in response to the community-wide need for assistance with basic services,” said Bristol.

United Way’s fundraising infrastructure brought added support to nonprofits that provide food, rent and utility assistance. United Way selected OFB as the vehicle to distribute the extra support for food in the Portland metro area.

“We saw the value in collaborating,” Bristol said. “It’s a holistic way to help our clients and families. Last year we received $120,000, which allowed us to buy badly needed food and distribute it quickly.”

MONTHLY SUSTAINERS CLUB CONTRIBUTIONS INCREASE

126 Number of Monthly Sustainers Club members who increased the amount of their monthly donations.

255 Number of new Monthly Sustainers Club members in fiscal year 2008-09.

5.3 Percent increase in average monthly gifts over fiscal year 2007-08.

• 16 •

• 17 •

Washington County has a higher than average hunger problem.

Even before the recession hit, poverty in Washington County was growing faster than its population. During the last fiscal year, emergency food-box distribution in Washington County escalated 28 percent – twice the statewide average. And since 2007-08, emergency food-box distribution has increased 49 percent.

Since 1994, OFB has served Washington County through a leased facility in Hillsboro with two cramped warehouses, minimal food-packing space, an outdoor food pick-up area that is exposed to the elements and a dilapidated freezer. Significant expansion is needed to address Washington County’s growing need for emergency food.

Rather than invest in a building that OFB doesn’t own, OFB’s Board of Directors approved an $8.5-million capital campaign in April 2009. The campaign will allow OFB to purchase, renovate and equip a 36,000 square-foot warehouse at N.W. 173rd and Cornell Road to create OFB West.

Board approves capital campaign to address rising need in Washington County

With the difficult economy in mind, OFB’s Board agreed to a conservative, two-phase project that includes: $2.5 million for a freezer, cooler and critical phase one improvements; $1.9 million for phase two improvements; $300,000 for additional operating costs; and $3.8 million to purchase the building. When complete, the facility will allow OFB to:

• Increase food distribution from 3-million to 4.5-million pounds per year;

• Triple its volunteer pool in Washington County from 4,700 to 15,000 over the next three years;

• Reduce the cost of outside processing of frozen products by $125,000 per year;

• Improve the safety and efficiency of food distribution to the more than 100 current hunger-relief agencies in the county and allow OFB to expand service to areas of unmet need;

• Provide additional support to OFB’s statewide network; and

• Strengthen OFB’s ability to serve as a first responder in local and statewide disaster relief.

Giving remains strong after the holidays

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

08-0907-08

last six months of fiscal year

num

ber o

f don

atio

ns

21,515

32,234

= 10,000 donations

Architectural rendering of OFB West, created by GBD Architects. The 36,000 square-foot building is centrally located at N.W. 173rd and Cornell Road in Beaverton.

Corporate donations remain strong

Portland General ElectricHundreds of employee volunteer hours, large foundation grants, a strong employee-giving program and special customer donations are what make Portland General Electric a prime example of a multi-level corporate donor.

“We see hunger as a basic need and want to help out however we can,” says Carole Morse, PGE Foundation president. “The food bank is loved by employees and the company alike.”

Company-backed food drives raise hundreds of pounds of food. The PGE Foundation gave its largest grant of $50,0000 in fiscal year 2008-09 to OFB. And the commitment doesn’t end there.

The company also has a strong employee-giving program. Each fall, for about six weeks, PGE and its workers rally to raise money for nonprofits. Oregon Food Bank is among 10 featured agencies and was the top recipient last year. Money given by PGE and its employees totaled $166,214 in fiscal year 2008-09.

PGE employees also donate hundreds of volunteer hours to Oregon Food Bank, from repacking food, to serving on OFB’s Board of Directors. Board members include past Chair and retired PGE Vice President of Customer Resource Strategy and Generation Engineering, Ron Johnson, and OFB’s current Board Chair, PGE Residential Marketing Manager, Karla Wenzel.

Karla says she finds her work at the food bank “hugely rewarding.”

“I believe very strongly in the food bank’s mission that no one should be hungry.”

Even PGE’s customers are generous donors. In June, the company provided OFB an opportunity to insert a request for support in its paper bills. “It’s something we rarely do, but need is great, so we opened it up to Oregon Food Bank.”

Committed to helping peoplewho are hungry

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

08-0907-08

860

1,156

fiscal year

Number of corporate donors

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

08-0907-08

fiscal year

dolla

r am

ount

$1,084,932$951,786

To commemorate its 150th anniversary, NW Natural donated $150,000 to Oregon Food Bank in January of 2009. $100,000 funded operation costs for one of OFB’s statewide food delivery trucks (pictured above) for one year. $50,000 in cash and in-kind donations supported regional food banks in NW Natural’s service area: Marion-Polk Food Share in Salem, Linn Benton Food Share in Corvallis, FOOD for Lane County in Eugene, Yamhill County Food Bank in McMinnville, South Coast Food Share in Coos Bay, Clatsop Regional Food Bank in Astoria, Columbia Pacific Food Bank in St. Helens and Mid-Columbia Community Action in The Dalles.

Sta

tem

en

t o

f F

ina

nci

al

Po

siti

on

Jun

e 30

, 20

09

(wit

h co

mp

ara

tive

tot

als

for

20

08

)

OR

EG

ON

FO

OD

BA

NK

, IN

C.

Individualdonors50%

Foundations 16%

Other events 10%

Corporate gifts7%

Government7%

Agency support5%

Waterfront Blues Festival 3%Oregon Harvest Dinner 2%

Sources of income Sources of food

Foodindustry48.5%

Food drives 5.7%

USDA 27.3%

Purchase18.5%

• 19 •

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

ASSETS2009 2008

• 20 •

Statement of Activities

For the year ended June 30, 2009(with comparative totals for 2008)

O R E G O N F O O D B A N K , I N C .

20082009

Improve capacity to handle and process food.

Provide leadership in the development of OFB facilities, food repack and distribution systems to enhance the efficiency and equity of distribution throughout the OFB Network.

Equitable, efficient distribution network-wide.

In collaboration with the OFB Network, annually strengthen the stability and capacity of regional food banks and local agencies to equitably distribute incrementally larger amounts of food. Reach 64.2-million pounds of food distributed per year by 2012 to assist approximately 850,000 low-income people throughout Oregon and Clark County, Wash.

Policies, programs, education and outreach.

Increase food supplies and resources for low-income people to reduce hunger from 4.4 percent to 3.5 percent by 2013 in Oregon and southwest Washington. Advocate for policies, programs and actions that address the root causes of hunger and enable low-income people to achieve food security and economic stability.

Improve food supply.

Over a five-year period, increase from 55.8- to 64.2-million pounds the volume of safe and nutritious food available annually for distribution through the Oregon Food Bank Network to low-income people.

2008-12strategicPLANO R E G O N F O O D B A N K

Goal 2

Goal 3

Goal 4

Goal 1

back cover

Other photography by Joe Cantrell, Norm Eder, Daniel Root and OFB staff.

Chuck King cover images

Kathy Nokes, Don Campbell

contributors

Jamie Meyer graphic designer

Jean Kempe-Ware contributing editor

Amber Stinson editor

Oregon Food Bank Annual Report 2008-09

Oregon Food BankP.O. Box 55370

Portland, OR 97238-5370(503) 282-0555

www.oregonfoodbank.org