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2024 Annual Report4 MONROE PARKWAY, STE A, LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97035WWW.HUNGERFIGHTERSOREGON.ORG | 503.866.8839
WHERE WEARE NOWA Year's OverviewOUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE RELIABLEACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD ANDESSENTIAL HYGIENE ITEMS IN AN INCLUSIVE,ACCEPTING ENVIRONMENT. Hunger Fighters Oregon was started in 2014 as an after-school club at Lake Oswego Junior High. In 2016,HFO received it’s 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Hunger Fighters Oregon is a small food pantry located inLake Oswego, Oregon dedicated to providing food andessential household items at no cost to those in need.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT &EXECUTIVE DIRECTORLetter from Andrea here Letter from Simone here.
2024 In ReviewNEW STAFF:HFO hires new Pantry Manager, MarleaGoulet and Inventory Manager StaceyKhoury-Diaz in February, and ExecutiveDirector, Simone Coker-Kamna in April tostart operationalizing the pantry. After acouple of staffing transitions, Jackie Fisherjoined the staff as Inventory & PantryCoordinator in September.PANTRY UPDATES:In an effort to update thePantry and provide betterservice, we ordered newfridges and a freezer,outdoor benches forguests to wait on, a sinkfor cleaning, and stainlesssteel tables for safe foodhandling.SPRING CAMPAIGN: HFO set its sights on helping supportfamilies over the summer via a springcampaign. The goal was to raise funds tosupport kids who would lose access to theirfree/reduced lunch benefits over thesummer. We raised $XX,XXX toward thatgoal, putting extra sandwhich fixins andhealthy snacks on our shelves.ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER:Over the summer, we worked with theLOACC on a couple of projects. First up wasassembling and delivering 100 emergencyfood boxes for ACC participants. Next wecreated a new pantry shop day for seniors inthe community. Working with the LO AdultCommunity Center, we created a twiceweekly shop time to accommodate thisgroup. Serving approximately 24 seniorsevery two weeks, in addition to theGreenridge Estates residents we also servebi-weekly.SATELLITE PANTRY:Working with the Life Church, we pilotedour very first Satellite Pantry! We purchased non-perishable food to serve 75 drive up guests in the church’s parking lot.Church volunteers came to the pantry to pre-pack up the bags and handed them out tothose in need.FRIENDS OF LUSCHER FARMS,HARVEST HELPERS:Starting in the spring, Harvest Helpersbrought in over 3,000 lbs of fresh produce!Harvest Helpers grew and harvested producethat they dropped off and stocked each week! GUEST TESTIMONIAL
Financial donations help us keep the pantry lights on and our pantry staffed.They also play a critical role in keeping our shelves stocked with the food andhousehold essentials that our guests have come to expect from us. When we runlow on stock, we are able to purchase needed items using donated funds. Thisapproach is a unique aspect of our pantry that sets us a part from others and wecouldn’t do it with your support!Food donations come to us in a few ways—we receive anonymous fooddonations to our onsite donation bin 24/7 and we receive large donationsthrough food and supply drives hosted by local groups and organizations. Wework with community partners, like the Friends of Luscher Farms HarvestHelpers, to receive regular on-going donations of specific food items.Gleaned food helps us keep our shelves appealing to our guests! Through ourfood rescue program (aka gleaning) we are able to provide our guests witheverything from cakes, to dips and spreads, to artisanal loaves of bread, togourmet cheeses that would otherwise be thrown away! This program sets us apart from other pantries and is something that our guests regularly rave about.Thank you to our local gleaning partners at New Seasons, Zupan’s, and GroceryOutlet. How We Work:Hunger Fighters Oregon is able fulfill its mission thanks to generous donors and community memberslike you! Your financial and food donations combined allow us to curate a food pantry that meets ourguests needs while also providing items that they might not have access to otherwise!What does it mean to be “No Barriers”?People often ask about our “no barriers” policy and why allow anyone to shop the pantry.To us, it’s important that we serve anyone in need, regardless of income, zip code,language, race or ethnicity, or gender or sexual identity. Hunger or food insecurity canaffect anyone, regardless of these factors and we are committed to helping however wecan.No barriers means that anyone can access our pantry—no questions asked. Think of it this way, many families, even those with a livable wage, are susceptible tomisfortune. A car accident, illness, or a layoff can drastically change a family’s budgetand lifestyle. That’s where we come in. If accessing our pantry for a few months helps afamily get back on their feet, we’re glad to help! HFO can be a quick and painless way tokeep food on the table and reduce barriers to support.Whether a person is chronically unemployed, a recent immigrant trying to navigate anew life, disabled, or temporarily in need, we want to be known as a trusted and reliablesource of relief in this community.
WE DELIVER!A small, but highly impactful service we provide is through our delivery program. Currently, we deliver foodto a small group of homebound individuals that are physically unable to make it into the pantry. A deeplycommitted crew of volunteers have established strong relationships with these guests, taking their groceryorders over the phone, packing up the order, and finally delivering their groceries to them in person. Welove to see these relationships blossom and for our guests to connect with our volunteers this way.Our pantry is open three times each week during select times on Monday,Wednesday, and Friday. Our guests can “shop” our pantry twice per month,perusing our aisles and selecting the items they need most. When guestsvisit the pantry, they are checked-in by our friendly volunteers and then waittheir turn to shop. New guests fill out an intake form which we use to collecthousehold, demographic, and other information that we use for reportingand tracking.All of our food, hygiene, and household supplies have a maximum amountthat can be taken by guest based on their household size. This amountchanges day to day based on supply. Our maximums allow us to make surethat we are able to serve the most people possible.At Hunger Fighters Oregon, our volunteers are the life-blood of ourorganization and operation. Since the beginning, our volunteers havemade sure that HFO is a welcoming and well run space for our guests. We provide various entry points for our volunteers, making sure we aregiving them meaningful opportunities to engage . Whether they are ahigh school student fulfilling community service hours, a family lookingto support their community, or a local business working on a teambuilding project, we can find a spot for anyone to in our pantry!We do expect our volunteers to show and treat our guests with the respect and dignity they deserve.Food insecurity is a highly stigmatized issue, so it’s imperative that our volunteers not onlyunderstand why our guests may be shopping with us, but do not second guess their need to be at ourpantry—no judgement and no bias, that’s all we ask of our volunteers and staff!Volunteer: A person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertakea service.Get Involved!email info@hungerfightersoregon.org or usethe QR code to learn more about volunteeringVISITING THE PANTRY
XIndividuals ServedXHouseholds Served~3,000LBSPounds of fresh producedonated by Friends ofLuscher Farms HarvestHelpers~1,000 *Bottles of shampoopurchased this year~4,200*Rolls of toilet paperpurchased this yearIMPACT REPORT2024At Hunger Fighters Oregon, our impact can bemeasured by how our services have improved the dayto day life of our guests. Reducing food insecurity byoff setting costs for families and feeding our mostvulnerable community members with nutritious foodis how we measure success. But, sometimes,numbers help! Check out our impactwill replicate this fromlastyears report40% OF GUESTS LIVE IN LAKEOSWEGO. # OF FAMILIES WITHYOUNG CHILDRENSERVED # OF SENIORS SERVEDAVG # OF GUESTS/SHOP*SNAP RECIPIENTS CANNOT USE THEIRSNAP BENEFITS ON HYGIENE ITEMS,HOUSEHOLD CLEANING SUPPLIES, ORPET FOOD.
DONORS (INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, & FOUNDATIONS)$5000+Lyle GriffinMarie Lamfrom Charitable FoundationTerri Childress$3000+Vickie Mee$1000+AnonymousThe ArnstonsWindermere FoundationLake Oswego Kiwanis ClubRecurring Donors ( will list out here)COMMUNITY PARTNERSTHANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS47th AveBirch Community ServicesFIDO Pet Food BankKiwanis Club of Lake OswegoLake Grove PresbyterianLake Oswego Farmers MarketLake Oswego United Methodist ChurchLO Chamber of CommerceLuscher Farms, Harvest HelpersMountain Park ChurchNCL (National Charity League)Nicoletta’s TableRotary Club of Lake OswegoSt Vincent DePaul YMSLNew Seasons Zupans - Lake GroveClackamas GleanersLola'sWindermereBethlehem House of Bread (Tigard Food Pantry)Lake Oswego Review
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERSVOLUNTEERSThis is a list of our active volunteers who regularly work at the pantry. This isnot an exhaustive list of all the amazing people who’ve volunteered their timeand energy at the pantry this year. Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, no matter the frequency ofyour volunteerism.Ann - Volunteer CoordinatorShop Volunteers:Gleaners:Pantry Volunteers:CTP Students & StaffThe Fleck FamilyRochelle BensonRita BondRaquelTaya CampagnaTeddyLakewood LadiesLOHS StudentsYMSL sons and mothersDelivery Volunteers:Charles Aubin Patty Byrd Patti Carberry Joanne ClaytonJanis Hootman Sandi MacQuinn Ann Meub Tommy Rogers
HUNGER FIGHTERS OREGON STAFFSIMONE COKER-KAMNAEXECUTIVE DIRECTORJACKIE FISHER INVENTORY & PANTRY COORDINATORMARLEA GOULETPANTRY MANAGERBOARD OF DIRECTORSANDREA PLATT, BOARD PRESIDENTMARK WALLER, BOARD VICE PRESIDENTKABIR BHATIA, BOARD TREASURERARVIN PARANJPE, BOARD SECRETARYDOROTHY ATWOODBILLY BROOKSJOE BUCKMICHAEL COLLIERMOLLY DUCKERMARK FRIESSPAUL KMIECTAMMY PERHAMSTUDENT BOARD MEMBERSJULIANNA CAHILLAUVEEN SHAFAEI DONATE TO HUNGER FIGHTERS OREGON TODAY! EIN:81-3611988