The NeighborImpact Food Bank is the Regional Food Bank in the Oregon Food Bank state network, serving Central Oregon, including communities in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson Counties since 1985.

NeighborImpact receives and distributes food to a network of over 40 local agencies that include emergency food box sites, congregate meal sites, brown bag programs and shelters. Local agencies redistribute food received from the NeighborImpact Food Bank directly to people seeking emergency food assistance.

The Food Bank as a whole plays a vital role in assisting Central Oregon's struggling neighbors in meeting basic needs. In 2008 over 14,000 people accessed Food Bank services each month. Recently, the Food Bank has experienced dramatic increases in local need.

Where does NeighborImpact's Food Bank get its food?

The food provided through NeighborImpact's food bank comes from a variety of national, state and local sources, including USDA commodities, State appropriated foods, as well as businesses, local food drives, individual donations and the Food Recovery Initiative.

What is the Food Recovery Initiative?

NeighborImpact's Food Bank established the innovative Food Recovery Initiative in 2001 in an effort to further meet Central Oregon's increasing need for food resources, which have grown by 71% in the past 7 years. The program collects safe yet unsellable produce, dairy products and meat from local food industry businesses and redistributes these items to local agencies. These perishable food items are collected regularly by NeighborImpact's refrigerated truck and delivered to our food warehouse. NeighborImpact's Food Bank highly values the Food Recovery Initiative as a important part of providing high quality, nutritious perishable items to Food Bank recipients.

Why is the Food Recovery Initiative important?

The Food Recovery Initiative has allowed NeighborImpact to increase food resources at the local level, accounting for over 32% of the amount of food distributed by NeighborImpact. The average food recovered by the program has grown from 84,900 pounds quarterly in 2006 to 145,900 pounds in the first two quarters of 2009. Increasing the food collection goal for the Food Recovery Initiative will allow NeighborImpact's Food Bank to provide additional nutritious foods to local agencies at a time when the agency is seeing unprecedented need for emergency food resources in Central Oregon communities.

Want to learn more?

• Learn about Hunger in Central Oregon

• Learn about NeighborImpact's Food Bank immediate & ongoing needs

• Want to help? Donate Food and Funds

• Read more in NeighborImpact's e-Newsletter NeighborNews