Breaking News
State employees surpass 4 million pounds Gov. John Kitzhaber today honored hard-working state employees for raising the equivalent of more than 4 million pounds of food for hungry Oregon families.
Stamp Out Hunger adds food to shelves A small army of Wells Fargo employees and other volunteers helped lug, weigh and sort the more than 72,315 pounds of food that poured in from the Stamp Out Hunger letter carriers drive that took place May 12.
Surplus food fills warehouse shelves MPFS went grocery shopping last week … at the State Surplus Property Distribution Center across the street from our warehouse. Yes, that’s right.
Thank you for the vote of confidence! Marion-Polk Food Share was named Best Non-Profit for the third consecutive year in the statesmanjournal.com Best of the Mid-Valley competition.

March food distribution highest in 9 months Marion-Polk Food Share distributed more food in March than it has since July 2011. An average of 180,000 pounds of food per week was delivered to our 98 hunger-fighting community partners.
Shopping Matters registration open Shopping Matters, a new local initiative to help people learn to choose healthy foods and stretch their food budgets, is accepting registrations.
Spring Break tops 8,000 meals More than 8,000 meals were served during the No Hungry Child Spring Break Lunch Program held late last month.

Protein patty deemed ‘really good’ “This is really good,” was the common refrain from individuals trying Marion-Polk Food Share’s new protein patty during Solid Rock Community Church’s monthly emergency food distribution on March 10.
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MPFS awarded $45,000
Walmart Foundation today announced that two Salem area nonprofits will receive $50,000 in hunger-relief funds designated for Marion and Polk counties. Marion-Polk Food Share was awarded $45,000 and Salem-Keizer Meals on Wheels received $5,000 as a result of Salem’s selection as a winner in the Walmart Fighting Hunger Together Facebook campaign.

MPFS will be using the funds to jump-start the expansion of our protein patty production project. The funds will be used to purchase equipment for large-scale production of the patty. MPFS currently is working out the details of a partnership with the Oregon Youth Authority, McLaren Youth Correctional Facility, to produce the patties while providing youths with job skills that will help them lead productive lives once they leave McLaren.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped greater Salem stay in position for a $50,000 award over the 22-day contest. Your votes will make a difference in the lives of local families who need a helping hand to keep food on the table.

The campaign was Walmart's way of selecting one community to win $1 million and 20 runner-up communities to receive $50,000 each. Contest results here.

Business travelers: MPFS needs a lift
Marion-Polk Food Share has until the end of May to collect another 75,000 United Airlines Mileage Plus points and we need your help, particularly business travelers.

Currently, the MPFS Flight Against Hunger campaign has 126,000 mileage points in the bank, but about 200,000 are needed for a domestic trip to get an up-close look at aquaponic operations in Denver, Chicago and Milwaukie.

Can you help? Do you know anyone who can? For information or to make a donation, contact Don Mertes at 503-581-3855, ext. 333.

Volunteers Needed 
 Make an impact. We need volunteers who can commit to regular, weekday shifts. Learn how you can help here.