Food to Schools Program

Oregon has the highest rate of childhood hunger in the nation. In 2010 we began our Food to Schools Program after learning about issues of hunger at some schools in East Multnomah County, where between 75-90% of children live below the poverty line. These young students regularly rely on free or subsidized school lunches for their only meal of the day.

Urban Gleaners has been able to mitigate some of that hunger by providing nutritious foods such as whole grain breads, yogurts and fresh organic produce to schools throughout greater Portland. The food is sorted by parent and student volunteers into boxes for families to take home.

“Urban Gleaners has provided for hundreds of families,” says Kate Barker, principal of Cherry Park Elementary School. “Some of these children come from homes where there is nothing in the cupboard. The only meals they would receive are the breakfast and lunch we serve here.”

While most children look forward to holidays and summer vacation, some children of food-insecure families dread the breaks when they will not have access school meals. During the summer months we run a “Free Farmers Market” at two to three schools to provide food for these children and their families. Volunteers help unload and sort hundreds of pounds of food, including organic produce donated from Portland Farmers Markets.

Since 2010 we have expanded this program to seven schools throughout Greater Portland. If you know of a school that is interested in joining the program, please fill out the form below: