Northeast Emergency Food Program

WHO WE ARE

Northeast Emergency Food Program meets the urgent food needs of our Portland metro area neighbors, primarily people living in east Portland, especially east of 82nd Avenue. However, unlike many other food pantries in the region, we do not have a geographic boundary—meaning, people come to us from across the tri-county region of northwest Oregon, as well as southwest Washington. We are also able to help those who are experiencing houselessness and those who are undocumented. Further, we are open on Saturdays, which allows us to serve families who work during the week.

In addition to meeting the urgent needs of these neighbors, NEFP also works to develop community solutions to secure access to adequate, affordable and healthy food. We ground our work in the belief that nutritious food is a basic human need and a building block for a healthy life of possibility.

NEFP is a vital part of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's (EMO) direct services.

We primarily serve:
> Families with children; over 40 percent of our recipients are children.
> The unemployed and the underemployed.
> People with special needs, including the disabled and the elderly.
> A high percentage of Immigrants and refugees.
> People experiencing crisis.

OUR SERVICES

We provide emergency and urgent care:

• • Three- to five-day (or more) supply of nutritious groceries, frequently valued at $200 or more.
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, bread and meat.
  • Weekly distribution of food—primarily fresh produce, grains and proteins—to the Sacajawea Head Start with our mobile pantry*.
  • Distribution of food to other EMO programs, including those using HIV Services, Sponsor Organized to Assist Refugees, and Slavic Oregon Social Services.
  • Through our Service Learners Initiative, we provide job training, skill building and exposure to nonprofit services to 15 to 20 people every year. We work with everyone from graduate school interns to developmentally disabled adults. Our graduates of the program have gone on to find employment in food services, social work and retail management.

*ON HOLD: Sacajawea Mobile Food Pantry—Our host church, Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, has a longstanding relationship with our immediate neighbor, Sacajawea Head Start. With Luther Memorial volunteer and financial support, NEFP has for years offered the 170 families at Sacajawea supplemental food offerings once a week. This type of “backpack program” included staple foods like tuna fish and mac-and-cheese and the occasional fresh food.

However, in recent years, the families coming to receive this food dwindled down to about four or five a week, and the program did not really seem to meet their needs. Therefore, during the 2015-16 school year, NEFP launched the Sacajawea Mobile Food Pantry. For this program, we instead bring the food directly to the families at Sacajawea. We made sure that we heard their feedback, so we include primarily fresh foods, breads, dairy and the same tuna and pasta staples as before. We now serve 40 or 50 families every week, which is a 1,000 percent increase in service! Thanks to New Seasons Market, we have reusable bags the families can bring every week to gather their groceries.

There are future plans to bring the Sacajawea Mobile Food Pantry to other sites in the Cully neighborhood. Donate now to help support this expansion! To get involved, contact NEFP.

OUR SUPPORTERS

Our dignified and equitable service is a reflection of a whole network of committed volunteers. As a neighborhood food resource, NEFP relies heavily on the regular support and involvement of churches, individuals, local businesses and foundation grants. Your generosity helps us to continue meeting the needs of over 800 families each month.

To help NEFP meet the sharply increased demand for our services, we are looking for 30 new sustaining partners: individuals and families who will commit $5 to $200 a month on an ongoing basis. Sustaining Partners keep us serving year in and year out. Donate now.

Pacific Power Foundation is a supporter of Northeast Emergency Food Program.

We would like to specifically thank some of our biggest congregational supporters:

Ainsworth United Church of Christ
Augustana Lutheran Church
Central Lutheran Church
Congregation Beth Israel
First Presbyterian Church in Portland
Fremont United Methodist Church
Luther Memorial Lutheran Church
Mosaic Church
Piedmont Presbyterian Church
Rose City Park United Methodist Church
St. James Lutheran Church
St. Luke Lutheran Church
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
Sunriver Christian Fellowship
Westminster Presbyterian Church

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Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. 1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
      1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
   2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
   3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.