Starting off the school year right means kids (and parents) need a nourishing breakfast. Oats and cereal are easy, nutritious foods that are always requested at NeighborImpact and our cereal shelves are getting low. In order to stock the shelves and distribute these much needed products across Central Oregon, NeighborImpact is putting out a “Call to Action” for cereal donations including oats and other hot cereals.
“With school starting in a few weeks, many parents find it difficult to provide a nutritious breakfast for their kiddos as they head out the door,” says Carly Sanders, food program manager at NeighborImpact. “By stocking our shelves with oats and cereal, we can use our distribution network to get these items to our Food Partners in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties and into the hands of families in need.”
Oats and cereal donations can be dropped off at either of our main offices in Redmond or Bend located at 2303 SW First Street or 20310 NE Empire Avenue, respectively. Local businesses and groups are encouraged to host a “Cereal Drive” of “Virtual Food Drive” at their workplace. NeighborImpact staff is always available to provide ideas, materials and support for employees and volunteer groups. For more information on hosting a food or fund drive, please contact Laurie Purcell, food bank specialist, at 541-323-6520.
NeighborImpact’s Emergency Food Assistance program partners with 42 programs across Central Oregon, including nonprofit organizations, shelters, churches, and brown bag programs, to distribute fresh and shelf-stable food to those that need it. Last year, NeighborImpact distributed 3.7 million pounds of food to partners, providing over 3.08 million meals to neighbors. NeighborImpact serves as the backbone of our network and provides the infrastructure and resources to recover and distribute food on such a large scale. Food and cash donations are necessary on an ongoing basis in order for the program to run.
“Keeping our Food Bank shelves stocked is important not only to NeighborImpact, but to all of the organizations and programs we serve. Without NeighborImpact, many of the local nonprofits and groups providing meals and food boxes would need to purchase trucks to transport food, host food drives on a regular basis, and compete for funding,” says Ms. Sanders. “We have an incredible network with amazing partners. We at the Food Bank are proud to be a part of it and provide such a necessary piece of the system.”
NeighborImpact’s Food Distribution Partners 2016 include:
Jefferson County Crook County
Best Club Prineville First Baptist Church
Warm Springs Presbyterian Church Prineville Brown Bag @ St VDP
United Methodist BackPack Buddies Soroptomist Senior Center
United Methodist Church Food Bank St. Vincent De Paul – Prineville
United Methodist Madras Brown Bag Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery Prineville
Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery Madras
Seventh Day Adventists Community Center – Madras
Deschutes County
Bend’s Community Center
Bethlehem Inn
Bread of Life -Westside Church (Sisters Brown Bag)
Cascade Peer & Self Help Center
Crooked River Brown Bag
Faith Harvest Helpers
Family Kitchen (Trinity Episcopal)
Holy Trinity Care & Share
Jericho Weekend Food
La Pine Community Pantry
La Pine Community Kitchen
Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery Bend
Nativity Lutheran Church
Newport Ave Brown Bag
Redmond Community Church
Salvation Army
Seventh Day Adventist Community Center – Redmond
Sisters Kiwanis
Smith Rock Community Church
St. Vincent De Paul – Bend
St. Vincent De Paul – La Pine
St. Vincent De Paul – Redmond
Teen Challenge
Terrebonne Brown Bag
The Giving Plate
The Loft – Cascades Youth & Family
The Shepherd’s House
Water Church
Little Deschutes Grange Brown Bag
Redmond Assembly of God
For more information on NeighborImpact’s Food Program or how we are able to serve some many across Central Oregon, contact Carly Sanders at NeighborImpact at 541-323-6548.
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 grants, foundation grants, and donations from individuals and businesses in our community. To learn more about NeighborImpact please visit www.neighborimpact.org.
