Legacy Impacts Local Food Banks

Posted on by Eliot Neighborhood

Legacy Food Drive BoxesMore than 250,000 people in the Portland metropolitan area and Southwest Washington – a third of them children – don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Everyone is at risk of falling on hard times and needing the support of a food bank.

The goal of the second annual Legacy Health system-wide food drive was to bring in 22,000 pounds of food to represent Legacy Health’s more than 11,000 employees. Based on 11,176 pounds of food and $11,214 in monetary donations it represents the equivalent of 22,390 pounds of food going to 14 different food banks in the Portland metropolitan area and Southwest Washington area. Legacy

“The health of our communities is fundamental to Legacy’s overall mission,” said Brian Willoughby, director, community benefit. “It’s amazing to see over 11,000 Legacy employees believing in that mission and helping to make an incredible impact for people in need.”

Last year, Legacy Health raised 9,319 pounds of food and $6,766 in monetary donations going to 11 different food banks with a goal of reaching 10,000 pounds. Not only did we match donations from the previous year, we met and exceeded our goals and added three new organizations in our communities. Legacy Emanuel and Randall Children’s Hospital contributed 2,700 pounds of food and almost $1,000 to this total.

Legacy holds the drive in May to provide a significant amount of food during the “off” time of year, when food pantry cupboards often are growing bare. During the summer, many children no longer have access to free meals at school and families need the support of our community food banks more than ever. Our theme, tied to the month the drive occurs in, is “May no one go hungry.”

Donations will go to the following organizations in the Portland metro area and SW Washington:

  • AWARE Food Bank (Woodburn)
  • Birch Community Services (Portland)
  • Clark County Food Bank (Vancouver)
  • Columbia Pacific Food Bank (St. Helens)
  • Community Action (Hillsboro)
  • Lift Urban (Portland)
  • NE Emergency Food Program (Portland)
  • Sandy Action Center (Sandy)
  • Share Vancouver (Vancouver)SnowCap Community Charities (Portland)
  • St. Vincent de Paul Canby Food Bank (Canby)
  • Tualatin School House Pantry (Tualatin)
  • West Linn Food Pantry (West Linn)
  • WSU Cougar Food Pantry (Vancouver)

By Vicki Guinn