About

Marion Polk Food Share’s Mission

Our mission is to bring people together to end hunger and its root causes.

Every month, more than 46,000 people – including 15,000 children – will access emergency food through the Marion Polk Food Share partner network. This food may be a hot meal served at a shelter, a free community meal served at a church, or an emergency food box from a food pantry. This nutritious food will help children and adults learn, work, and thrive.

Program Overview

In 1987, Marion Polk Food Share was formed as an independent nonprofit to help lead the fight to end hunger in Marion and Polk counties. Today, the Food Share collects and distributes food to a network of more than 100 partner agencies. Support from the community makes it possible for the Food Share to distribute food to meal sites, food pantries, foster homes, low-income day care centers, shelters, and senior housing sites across the Mid-Valley. We also operate Meals on Wheels in Salem and Keizer, which delivers meals to seniors and disabled adults.

The Food Share also supports programs that address the root causes of hunger. These programs include:

Community gardens, which grow healthy food and healthy communities.
Job skills training programs that empower people to find and keep jobs.
The Youth Farm, a partnership with the OSU Extension 4H Youth Program, provides business, agriculture, and leadership training to young people while growing produce for emergency food distribution.

Statement on Racial Equity

People who experience racism are twice as likely to suffer from food insecurity. Research shows that whether in schools, the workplace, in public or while receiving medical care, people who face repeat discrimination are at a higher risk of going hungry. Our mission is to bring people together to end hunger and its root causes, which include discrimination and racial injustice. Read how the Food Share is working toward change.

Accountability

Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, awarded Marion Polk Food Share four out of a possible four stars. Receiving four stars indicates that the Food Share adheres to good governance and other best practices, and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way.

Marion Polk Food Share is a member of the Oregon Food Bank Network.