About Us
Established in 1987, Marion-Polk Food Share (MPFS) is a non-profit charity providing food for people at risk of hunger in Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. In 2008-09, MPFS distributed $6.5 million dollars worth of food—more than 5,080,000 pounds—just to assist hungry residents of Marion and Polk counties.
With that food, our network of over 80 direct-service agencies gave out 77,462 emergency food boxes and prepared and served 654,276 on-site meals. These partner agencies include food pantries, meal sites, shelters, low income day care centers and senior housing sites.
MPFS receives food from commercial growers, processors, grocery stores, USDA, the Oregon Food Bank, and community gardens. (Local food drives account for 12% percent of the food collected, and provide an important source of variety.) This food is then sorted, repacked, shelved, refrigerated or frozen — largely by volunteers —prior to being trucked to partner charities.
Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in our local area. People work hard and still have to choose between eating and other basic necessities such as medicine and housing. Nearly 44 percent of the people served by the MPFS network are children.