This October marks the ten-year anniversary of the Bend Food Project, an all-volunteer, grassroots effort founded in 2015 by Sue and Larry Marceaux. What began with just a handful of neighbors has grown into one of the largest Food Projects in the country. Today, more than 230 volunteers and 4,000 donors have collected over 1.8 million pounds of food, providing an incredible 1.4 million meals to families in Bend, La Pine, Sisters and Tumalo.
Here’s how it works: volunteers, called Neighborhood Coordinators, invite their neighbors to become food donors. Donors fill a bright green bag with non-perishable food every two months. On collection day, the Neighborhood Coordinator picks it up, delivers it and leaves an empty bag to start the cycle again.
The Bend Food Project proudly partners with The Giving Plate, Central Oregon’s largest food pantry, which served 57,178 individuals in 2024 — a 36% increase from the year before. With a strong focus on childhood hunger, over 65% of guests are children, and through the Kids Korner program alone, 11,877 kids were supported in 2024 thanks in part to Bend Food Project donations.
Now, as we celebrate a decade of impact, we’re setting our sights on the future. Help us reach our next milestone: 2 million pounds of food collected!
You can join us in two simple ways:
- Become a food donor
- Step into a leadership role as a Neighborhood Coordinator
With just a small commitment every two months, you can help us reach this goal and make a lasting difference for local families.
Be part of the Bend Food Project story. Together, we’re fighting hunger — one green bag at a time.
