LOCAL FOOD PANTRY SERVES MORE IN THE WOODSTOCK NEIGHBORHOOD OF SOUTHEAST PORTLAND WITH NEW PERMANENT FACILITY

Expanded capacity provides weekly support to people in need

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Woodstock Pantry in Southeast Portland can now serve the needs of more families due to the expanded capacity of its new permanent facility.

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the Woodstock community recognized the need for a food pantry in the Southeast Portland neighborhood. The community took collective action and created the Woodstock Pantry. "We are honored to partner with our community to help meet the ever-growing needs of our neighbors," said Andria Skornik, All Saints Episcopal Church priest. "It was the right time and the right thing to do."

Community organizations and neighbors gave their resources and time to serve neighbors. Using space donated by the church, the community installed a temporary shipping container to store food and supplies. To date, the Woodstock Pantry has provided groceries to more than 20,000 people since its opening in 2020 and has become an essential part of meeting the community's growing needs. When surveyed in August 2023, people served at the Woodstock Pantry reported:

• 40% receive SNAP
• 39% have a disability
• 57% are white
• 15% are Asian
• 3% are Black

In 2022, All Saints Episcopal Church committed to transforming the Woodstock Pantry into a permanent, sustainable food source for the area. The transformation project had two goals: 

1. Serve food to neighbors with a permanent structure to store food, equipment, and supplies.
2. Nurture the community as a place where people care for each other and demonstrate that care through collaboration and collective action to fight food insecurity.

Starting with a grant from Lowes, the Woodstock Pantry received additional donations and grants from the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon Foundation, Oregon Food Bank, Regional Arts Cultural Grant, and SE Uplift. Corporate donors such as OnPoint Community Credit Union, New Seasons Market, Southeast Portland Rotary Foundation, Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, The Laughing Planet, Advantis Credit Union, Trinity United Methodist Church, and St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church also helped the effort. Finally, parishioners of All Saints Episcopal Church and more than 170 neighbors also helped with donations.

The permanent facility, located at 4033 SE Woodstock Boulevard, offers weekly groceries to anyone in need. Recipients can drive through or walk up to the pantry on Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M.

SOURCE All Saints Episcopal Church