Marion-Polk Food Share Mission

Leading the fight to end hunger in Marion and Polk counties

… because no one should be hungry.

Marion-Polk Food Share Vision

Nourishment, Nurturing, Empowerment

Volunteers, board of directors and staff of Marion-Polk Food Share, in partnership with a positive, nurturing and empowering community that is aware of the hunger needs of its people, both residents and visitors, will provide adequate sustainable resources and services to meet those needs and work together to identify and eliminate the root causes of hunger.

1965 President Lyndon Johnson began his war on poverty and supported legislation to address the needs of those people who are less fortunate. Through this legislation, Community Action Committees were established across the country.

1970 Karen Hill, director of Salem Community Action Committee, helped establish rural food pantries to replace government vouchers.

1975 Several area churches met together, to discuss the growing need for emergency food and lack of adequate resources to meet that need. They formed The Community Food Bank of Salem. Around that same time, similar efforts began in the rural communities, aided by the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency.

1980 President Reagan released government surpluses of food to states to combat hunger. This food was often distributed in parking lots bringing to light the need for a centralized location to distribute food.

1983 A statewide VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) project was organized to gather all of the state’s food pantries and coordinate their efforts with the Oregon Food Share (now the Oregon Food Bank). In Salem, this goal was achieved by the Food Advisory Committee set up by the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Committee.

1984 The Food Advisory Committee developed into the Marion-Polk Food Share.

Marion-Polk Food Share History

20 Years of Feeding the Future

1987 Marion-Polk Food Share separated from the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Committee and became an independent non-profit organization. This was accomplished with financial support from the City of Salem. With the help of the Gannett Foundation Community Priorities Grant, Marion-Polk Food Share opened at rented space at 2305 Front Street.

Under the leadership of Margaret Grant as executive director, Marion-Polk Food Share began with two full-time employees. The initial major effort was providing USDA cheese at mass distributions. Subsequently, and with the formation of Oregon Food Bank in Portland, a formal network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and non-emergency low-income providers formed the Marion-Polk Food Share network. Distributions to these organizations occurred twice per month at the Food Share warehouse. Over time, this distribution schedule evolved to a daily distribution to providers in the Salem-Keizer area.

1992 To better serve the growing population of migrant workers who were moving into the area, Marion-Polk Food Share developed a migrant outreach program in Woodburn.

1993 Marion-Polk Food Share started a spring break lunch program for students at risk of hunger when school lunches are not available.

1996 Food Share partnered with the Salem Housing Authority to begin serving “harvest boxes” to residents of low-income housing sites, which provided food and nutritional information to families at risk of hunger.

2000 Escalating needs for emergency food in the two-county area over the next decade compelled Marion-Polk Food Share board of directors to plan for a larger, more efficient distribution center. A five-year strategic plan guided the organization into the new century and plans for a new facility.

2001 Food Share purchased a refrigerated truck so that fresh produce and frozen products, as well as canned goods, could be delivered to rural service providers.

2005 Through a successful $2.6 million capital campaign funded by community individuals, groups, businesses and foundations, the current warehouse and offices at 1660 Salem Industrial Drive NE opened for operation in January, 2005, tripling the size of the former facility. The new distribution center was the former Don Pancho tortilla factory, owned by George Puentes, who reduced the asking price by $300,000 and launched the capital campaign to purchase and renovate the property.

Margaret Grant retired as founding executive director at the end of December, 2004. Carolyn Homan, former board member and capital campaign director, served as interim director until Ron Hays became the second full-time executive director of Marion-Polk Food Share in August, 2005.

Food Share began a "food recovery" program by working with area grocery stores to pick up daily perishable food (meat, dairy and deli) that is close to the time it can no longer be sold.

2006 The board of directors adopted a new strategic plan to address the growing diversity of needs in Marion and Polk counties with the development of existing and new community services. Initial response to the strategic plan included expanding the community garden program, increased number of network service providers in high-need areas, and added a 1,000 sq. ft. freezer to increase procurement and storage of high-quality, nutritious foods. Food Share also began production of bio-diesel fuel.