August 2025 Community Cultivator: Comunidad de Fe

Oregon Food Bank is proud to recognize Comunidad de Fe as our August 2025 Community Cultivator.

Comunidad de Fe is a Spanish-speaking church located in rural Ontario, Oregon. About 40% of the population of Ontario identifies as Hispanic or Latino. These communities experience higher rates of hunger due to systemic racism and discrimination. We are proud to highlight the work of a partner led by and serving rural Latine communities in Ontario.

Pastor Ezequiel Hernandez is a Food Systems Ambassador with Oregon Food Bank, where he uses his unique insights into the Ontario community to advocate for ending hunger. Community members who may avoid a traditional food pantry site due to fear, uncertainty or language barriers often go to Comunidad de Fe for help. At Comunidad de Fe, they find a devoted advocate for their needs.

“As a church, we like to support our community not only in the spiritual realm but also in the area of nutrition for our Ontario community. Oregon Food Bank has been a great ally in this project,” Ezequiel says.

Together, Ezequiel and the Comunidad de Fe congregation have taken concrete steps to advocate for ending hunger by supporting Food for All Oregonians, attending advocacy workshops and giving testimony at legislative town halls. These are actions anyone can take to make hunger a thing of the past!

Ezequiel and his family are dedicated to meeting the needs of their community, says Eddie Melendrez, Oregon Food Bank Community Organizer. “We’re so blessed to have them, that they chose to stay here, chose to come here, and they’re a true shining light for many of the community members,” he says.

For the congregation of Comunidad de Fe, the work to end hunger is just beginning. Ezequiel Hernandez understands this more than most. “We know that there’s still much work yet to be done in this beautiful community of Ontario,” he says, “and we will continue working to make a difference in supporting the families.”

Together, our community makes these changes possible. Thank you to Comunidad de Fe for joining us to end hunger!

Have questions about the Community Cultivator program or how your organization can get involved? Please don’t hesitate to reach out!