2nd Mt. Bachelor Free Ski Day is Friday, April 11!

Due to the adverse weather conditions during the February 1 free ski day, Mt. Bachelor is having a 2nd free ski day Friday, April 1.

Help the less fortunate by donating three cans of non-perishable food! All food will be donated to NeighborImpact and given to the poor and needy in Central Oregon! Although any donation of non-perishable food is accepted and appreciated, canned donations (boxed and glass items tend to get damaged) are prefered. In exchange, Mt. Bachelor will give you an all day lift ticket for your generosity! Donations accepted at Sunrise Lodge, West Village ticketing area, Nordic Center and the Bend Park and Ride.

Click here for more information

Click here to download the official press release

2008 Mt. Bachelor Free Ski Day is Friday, February 1st!

Help the less fortunate by donating three cans of non-perishable food! All food will be donated to NeighborImpact and given to the poor and needy in Central Oregon! Although any donation of non-perishable food is accepted and appreciated, canned donations (boxed and glass items tend to get damaged) are prefered. In exchange, Mt. Bachelor will give you an all day lift ticket for your generosity! Donations accepted at Sunrise Lodge, West Village ticketing area, Nordic Center and the Bend Park and Ride.

Click here for more information

Click here to download the official press release

Wild Oats, a Whole Foods Market, asks customers to help over the holidays

Wild Oats in Bend is working with the NeighborImpact Food Bank to provide food to Central Oregon households during the months of November and December. The store is offering customers the opportunity to purchase bags of groceries through its Grab & Give program. Different price range bags will be available for purchase. The food will be distributed to low income residents of Central Oregon through the NeighborImpact Food Bank and a network of local social service agencies.

Click here to download the official press release

Bend Area Transit to Collect Food during Christmas Parade

BAT will be using its Ride the River bus and trailer to collect non-perishable food items before, during and after Bend’s annual Christmas Parade. BAT will be teaming up with NeighborImpact by providing needed items to local food pantries. Collections will take place at the Franklin Annex parking lot on the South side of Franklin between Bond and Wall – Halfway along the parade route.

Click here to download the official press release

Remaining Bowls from Empty Bowls Fundraiser Available

Remaining bowls from the Empty Bowl event will be sold as a fundraiser for NeighborImpact during the First Friday Art Walk 12-7-07, in downtown Bend from 5:00-8:00 pm. The bowls are $15 a piece and make a wonderful holiday gift. Each bowl comes with a moving poem written by children living in an emergency shelter. Bowls will be available at Thump Coffee, 25 Minnesota Ave. Bend, Oregon.

Click here to download the official press release

Senator Wyden Visits Food Bank and Urges Donations

Senator Ron Wyden will visit Central Oregon during his Thanksgiving recess from Washington, DC. His time here will include a trip to NeighborImpact, the regional food bank for Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties. Senator Wyden will discuss the low food supply currently being seen at food banks throughout Oregon, and what role local donors as well as the Federal Government can play replenishing shelves with food.

Click here to download the official press release

The Peak 104.1 FM Radio Personality to Collect Food While Staying in a Motor Home

Bryon Mengle will spend 104 hours in a motor home (for the second year in a row) to highlight hunger in Central Oregon. The Horizon Broadcasting personality will be partnering with NeighborImpact’s Food Bank to collect non-perishable food items for distribution in Central Oregon. Last year 10,000 pounds of food was collected from businesses, schools and individuals, all answering the call Bryon put out over air. On-air incentives will be offered and a special challenge is being thrown out to area schools.

Click here to download the official press release

541 Lounge & Restaurant to Collect Canned Food While Dancing Away Hunger

The NeighborImpact Food Bank is teaming with the 541 Lounge & Restaurant during Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week (Nov 12-16) in a food collection event. All food will benefit Central Oregon residents, and be distributed through a network of local social service agencies. Enjoy the music at 541 Lounge while helping to fight hunger.

Click here to download the official press release

Connect with all the help your community has to offer at Project Homeless Connect - Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007

Individuals, businesses, churches, nonprofits and social service agencies from Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook Counties are collaborating under one roof, for one day, to provide critical information and services to the homeless — people living in tents, vehicles, on the streets, in cheap motels, couch hopping, — as well as those doubled up with other families. These agencies will provide free advocacy and referral assistance, as well as free products, goods and services. Community members in need will be bussed in at no charge from the tri-county areas to the Hooker Creek Event Center at the Deschutes County Fair And Expo Center. They will check in and be guided through the services most helpful to their individual needs.

Click here to download the official flyer

Click here for more information on Project Homeless Connect

Click here to visit the Project Homeless Connect web site

Help kids through NeighborImpact throughout the week of September 3rd at AAA!

Simply drop off school supplies, including #2 pencils, 3-ring binders, scissors, glue sticks, calculators and lined notebook paper to the AAA Service Center (20350 Empire Blvd, Suite A5) in Bend throughout the week of September 3rd.

Click here to download the official press release

Olympics Out, But Two Pottery Throw-A-Thons On

An annually anticipated summer event, called the Pottery Olympics, is out this year, but in its place, two Pottery Throw-A-Thons are on. Earlier this year, the international Olympics Committee hired a copyright lawyer to threaten local non-profit NeighborImpact with a lawsuit for use of the ‘olympics’ name. In order to avoid being sued, the non-profit agency, which works for the economically disadvantaged in the community demurred its case and changed the name. Still, two Pottery Throw-A-Thons will preserve the spirit of the traditional pre-fundraising event as well as its means to procure 1,000 bowls for NeighborImpact’s Empty Bowls fundraiser (on November 11th this year).

Click here to download the official press release

August 25th Redmond Munch & Movies Benefits NeighborImpact

The movie of the evening is Disney’s “Cars” with musical performances before the movie by The Threes. The event is scheduled to start at 6:30pm, with the movie starting at dusk. Game & event booths run from 6pm until the start of the movie. Fundraising activities include face painting, airbrush tattoos, carnival-style games for the kids and a 50/50 raffle for the adults.

Help kids through NeighborImpact throughout the week of September 3rd at AAA

Simply drop off school supplies, including #2 pencils, 3-ring binders, scissors, glue sticks, calculators and lined notebook paper to the AAA Service Center (20350 Empire Blvd, Suite A5) in Bend throughout the week of September 3rd.

Click here to download the official press release

Printing Post in Redmond Collecting Food Donations

The Printing Post, Redmond’s downtown commercial printer, is hosting a food drive during August. Non perishable food items can be dropped off at their site by anyone wishing to contribute to the food drive. The Printing Post is also offering their customers a 10% discount on all jobs over $25 for a donation of 3 canned food items during August. All collected food items will be distributed to low income residents of Central Oregon through the NeighborImpact Food Bank and a network of local social service agencies.

Click here to download the official press release

August 23rd Blind Boys of Alabama Concert to Benefit NeighborImpact and other Local Charities

The 5 for 5 Concert series, featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama, raises money, awareness and support for local non-profits that benefit the Central Oregon community. As the title sponponsor for this event, the Pronghorn Foundation is proud to present this soulful band to Bend while encouraging stewardship and philanthropy in the community.

For more information go to: http://www.5for5concert.org/main.html

Click here to download the official concert poster

Printing Post in Redmond to offer Discount for Food Donation

The Printing Post, Redmond’s downtown commercial printer, will be offering a 10 percent discount on all print jobs over $25 in exchange for a donation of 3 canned food items during July and August. All collected food items will be distributed to the low-income residents of Central Oregon through NeighborImpact’s Food Bank and network of local social service agencies. The discount-for-canned-food option will be open from July 5th to August 31st, during the Printing Post’s business hours (M-F 8AM – 5PM).

Click here to download the official press release

Participatory Pottery: Previously and Coming Up in NeighborImpact's Pottery Throw-A-Thon

NeighborImpact's Pottery Throw-A-Thon is not only a bunch of potters getting together to throw bowls. As per the event on July 6, the community can be potters too - at least by pinching or sculpting bowls, if not actually throwing them, or running around casting magic spells a la the ever popular Harry Potter. At the July 6 Throw-A-Thon, Alissa Clark, a ‘clay works’ artist from the valley, won the gold prize for the best, audience-judged pinch-pot.

Click here to download the official press release

Community Planting Roots with Transitional Housing Kids

The Homework Club kids of Healy Heights get a chance to plant roots and seeds in their community garden this Saturday, June 9th, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Homework Club, a NeighborImpact transitional housing program, is a place where kids, whose families would otherwise be homeless, can go to have an after school snack, be with their friends, and learn new things when their parents are not around. Now that the kids are out of school, the garden becomes a new site for learning with the larger Healy Heights’ community, Homework Club tutors and NeighborImpact volunteers.

Click here to download the official press release

“Hungry All Year Long” Canned Food Drive has big eyes set on a prize

The “Hungry All Year Long” Canned Food Drive has big eyes set on a prize – of 7,000 pounds of non-perishable food. It is hoped, that with more than 50 participating businesses to host collection bins, that this goal can be reached by collecting throughout the month of June.

Click here to download the official press release

For a complete list of locations where you can donate food go to:
http://www.summit1031.com/Hungry/default.aspx

‘National Provider Appreciation Day’: Child Care Providers Recognized

Around the world, the Friday before Mother’s Day (May 11th), child care organizations and children’s parents will celebrate ‘Provider Appreciation Day’. It is estimated that nearly 12 million under age five in the United States are in some type of child care every week. Locally, NeighborImpact’s Child Care Resources program hosted an appreciation day for Central Oregon child care providers last Saturday. At an all-day special provider appreciation day, child care providers from around Central Oregon came for recognition, training, and a free lunch. Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney also attended, sharing her own experiences with finding quality child care as well as offering encouragement to those attending.

Click here to download the official press release

Letter Carriers Host a Day to ‘Stamp out Hunger’ – May 12th

Nearly 3,000 letter carriers in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., will join with other letter carriers across America to ‘stamp out hunger’ by collecting donations of nonperishable food from postal service customers during the annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive.

Click here to download the official press release

Governor Kulongoski Invites Oregonians to Take the ‘Food Stamp Challenge’

Governor Ted Kulongoski has challenged all Oregonians to join himself and his wife, Mary Oberst, during “Hunger Awareness Week” this month from April 23rd to the 29th, to live on an average food stamp budget of $21 per person for the week: amounting to an average of $3 per day, per person.

Click here to download the official press release

In the Children’s Garden: Businesses, Landscapers, Gardeners, Seedlings and Volunteers Needed!

Healy Heights Transitional Housing Program invites landscapers, gardeners and volunteers to support Healy Heights Transitional Housing program and its children’s garden. A meeting will be held at Healy Heights, on April 18th, 5:30 p.m.

Click here to download the official press release

Advance America Sponsors Food Drive in April

Advance America will hold a community food drive during two weeks in April. The public is invited to drop non perishable food items at their Westside location. All collected food items will be donated to the NeighborImpact Food Bank for distribution to low income residents of Central Oregon through a network of local social service agencies.

Click here to download the official press release

Green $ for Healy Heights Residents Using Gold, Solar Power

Solar water heating is affordable. NeighborImpact has partnered with Cascade Sun Works to prove it. During the week of March 5th, Curci’s company installed the solar water heaters in eight apartment units at Healy Heights.

Click here to download the official press release

Answers and Assistance Mobilized for Residents of Jefferson County

Friday, April 20th, residents of Madras can benefit from NeighborImpact’s mobile outreach program - in the form of the ‘Answer Van’. The Van will travel from Bend to the NeighborImpact Madras office and then station there from 12-noon to 4 p.m. The office is located at 675 SW Marshall St.

Click here to download the official press release

Bit Mobile visits libraries during Tax Season

The OSU Extension Service Bit Mobile is scheduled to make a special round of stops this year to help Central Oregonians connect to the internet so they can learn about Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and access a free tax filing program, called CompleteTax, on the Beehive Cascades website www.beehivecascades.org/taxes.

Click here to download the official press release

On NeighborImpact Day, Food Prepared Becomes an Asset Shared

Fifty percent of proceeds gained during the launch of Oregon’s second Entrees Made Easy on ‘NeighborImpact Day’, will benefit non-profit, NeighborImpact. Customers who either prepare meals for themselves or their families with Entrees Made Easy or buy a calendar of the “Muscle Gourmet” - Bend’s Chef Dave Nathan - will contribute to the proceeds. It is hoped enough revenue will be gathered to help the local non-profit agency better face its deficit caused by recent cuts in Federal Food and Emergency Shelter Funds for Deschutes County.

Click here to download the official press release

Partnership Connecting People to Tax Resources in Jefferson County

NeighborImpact and the OSU Extension Office Bit Mobile have partnered with the Jefferson County Library to bring a mobile computer lab to Madras so people can file their taxes online using Beehive Cascades (www.beehivecascades.org/taxes).

Click here to download the official press release

Social Work Coalition Sponsors Food Drive for National Social Work Month

In honor of National Social Work Month, the Hospice Social Work Coalition of Central Oregon will hold a community food drive during the month of March. Members of the coalition are inviting the public to drop non-perishable food items at sites listed below. All collected food items will be donated to the NeighborImpact Food Bank for distribution to low-income residents of Central Oregon through its network of local social service agencies.

Click here to download the official press release

A ‘Shot in the Arm’: 25,500 lbs. of Food Collected From Free Ski Day

Thousands of pounds of food were collected today, at Mt. Bachelor, as the resort generously donated its facilities and staff time for the 17th Annual Free Ski Day. The opportunity for Central Oregonians to ski ‘free’ in exchange for just three non-perishable food items that went to NeighborImpact attracted over 7,700 people to the mountain.

Click here to download the official press release

Neighbor Impact Free Ski Day is Friday, January 26!

Help the less fortunate by donating three cans of non-perishable food! All food will be donated to Neighbor Impact (formerly COCAAN) and given to the poor and needy in Central Oregon! Although any donation of non-perishable food is accepted and appreciated, Neighbor Impact prefers canned donations (boxed and glass items tend to get damaged). In exchange, Mt. Bachelor will give you an all day lift ticket for your generosity! Donations accepted at Sunrise Lodge, West Village ticketing area, Nordic Center and the Bend Park and Ride. Lifts open at 9am and close at 4pm. Free tickets are available for alpine or nordic. Snowblast Tubing Park is open but tickets must be purchased.

"Adopt a Family" for the Holidays! NeighborImpact seeks individuals and businesses to help extend the holiday spirit to families in need

NeighborImpact is asking Central Oregonians and Central Oregon businesses to “Adopt a Family” for the holidays. Many of us revel in the holiday season, but for some in our community, the coming of winter means struggling to stay warm. NeighborImpact works with families in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties. Advocates in each community are meeting with families to identify the most important needs and their Christmas wishes – including clothing sizes and each family member’s most wished for gift. Some families are also in need of food for their Christmas dinner. Adopting a family is easy. Anyone interested in adopting a family can simply contact NeighborImpact 541-548-2380 ext.110 or chloef@neighborimpact.org.

Click here to download the official press release

The AAA of Bend will host a month and a week-long food drive with NeighborImpact to make the holidays brighter for area families. Donations of canned or dry packaged food can be dropped off at their offices. The food will go towards NeighborImpact’s Food Bank which distribute hot meals and food boxes through out Central Oregon via its network of local agencies.

Click here to download the official press release

Bits & Pieces in Bend is joining a national ‘Framing For Food’ effort. I will work with NeighborImpact Food Bank to conduct a food drive while offering a discount on framing between Nov 15 and Dec 5. Customers who drop off food will receive $1.00 off their framing job for each food item they donate, up to half the total cost of the job. Canned or dry, packaged food can be dropped at their shop. The food will be given to NeighborImpact for distribution through its network of local agencies that provide food boxes and hot meals in Central Oregon.

Click here to download the official press release

COCAAN's new name is now unveiled as the agency celebrates 21 years of service to Central Oregon

COCAAN has been serving the Central Oregon community for the past 20 years and has grown from a small non-profit to an organization with over 15 offices, and just last year, provided over 100,000 different services to local residents. It is one of the largest local social service organizations in Central Oregon, and now the agency has taken on a new name in an effort to better market what the agency does and the services that it provides.

With name change, NeighborImpact is more than an acronym -
(Bend Bulletin article published November 13, 2006)