Kim Boone, President of Café Yumm!For Oregon-based restaurant chain Cafe Yumm!, This was unacceptable. “We believe nourishing our community goes beyond the bowl — it’s about ensuring everyone has access to good, wholesome food.
How businesses can help fight hunger in Oregon
How businesses can help fight hunger in Oregon
How businesses can help fight hunger in Oregon
Businesses across Oregon are making a difference through corporate volunteering, workplace giving, food donations and community partnerships. Whether you're looking for employee volunteer opportunities, ways to support your local community or ideas for corporate social responsibility, there are many ways your business can help end hunger. Already have some ideas? Contact us at communitygiving@oregonfoodbank.org to get started!
Host a workplace or business fundraiser
In late October 2025, the federal government shut down. Contingency funds were available to fully support SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) during this crisis, but elected leaders chose not to use these funds. As a result of that decision, 750,000 Oregonians needed to find a new way to feed their families in November.
During the shutdown, they offered free meals to children on SNAP, while donating a portion of their profits to local food assistance sites. “Partnering with Oregon Food Bank through our SNAP Bowl program allowed us to live our purpose and support families across Oregon,” Boone said. Direct relief and financial support from Cafe Yumm! and other businesses were a critical part of Oregon Food Bank’s response to this hunger crisis.
Donate surplus food from your business
Every year, the Oregon Food Bank Network distributes over 100 million pounds of food. Almost half of this food is donated by the food industry, made up of growers, manufacturers, grocery stores and more. Thanks to their donations, we can distribute food that is nourishing, culturally familiar and highly requested.
Franz Bakery, a familiar name in grocery stores across the Northwest, celebrated 120 years of baking in 2026. Did you know they deliver a truckload of baked goods to Oregon Food Bank each week? From there, it is distributed throughout our statewide network as part of our effort to ensure that high-quality pantry staples are available to everyone facing food insecurity. Between 2024 and 2026, Franz Bakery donated over 200,000 pounds of bread! Head to the Franz Instagram feed at the link here to learn more!
Donating safe food and supplies at scale is a powerful way for your food business to make a difference in our communities. We’ll work with you to make the process easy and efficient. Contact fooddonation@oregonfoodbank.org or call 503-419-4166 to set up a one-time or regular donation.
Join us for team building opportunities
The strongest businesses invest in their employees, and team-building is one easy way to invest. From volunteering to fundraising to gamifying the fight against hunger, businesses in our region love to get involved.
In partnership with Oregon Food Bank and the Community for Positive Aging, local AAA branches designed a unique team building activity for their staff. Team members participated in a food-oriented game while learning from Oregon Food Bank staff about what hunger really looks like in Oregon and SW Washington.
“At AAA Oregon/Idaho, serving our local communities is core to who we are, and this partnership gave our teams a meaningful way to put that commitment into action,” they said.
AAA employees were inspired by what they learned, sparking numerous team volunteer events throughout the year. Additionally, AAA made a bulk purchase of culturally relevant food from Fubonn Shopping Center. This food was donated to Community for Positive Aging, stimulating local economies while providing familiar foods to Asian communities.
Our volunteers (including corporations volunteering with their teams, employee resource or affinity groups) contribute tens of thousands of hours every year, and are critical to making sure families have food on the table.
You can find information on volunteer opportunities at the link here, or email communitygiving@oregonfoodbank.org to find other ways to engage!
Educate employees and customers about hunger
Whether you reach your employees, customers or your industry as a whole, spreading the true story of hunger is the first step to getting your community involved in ending it.
When Natural Grocers® decided to raise funds at their registers for Oregon Food Bank, they made a conscious effort to learn how to talk about hunger in Oregon. So, they invited Oregon Food Bank to talk to store managers and cashiers about food insecurity, encouraging them to share Oregon Food Bank’s work with customers at the register.
They also used eye-catching displays to encourage the community to support their fundraising efforts! Food donations stayed in the local community, going straight to Oregon Food Bank’s partner, SnowCap Community Charities.
We hope these stories inspire you to take creative action to end hunger. In addition to the examples above, you can make a tax-deductible donation! Or you can create a fundraiser with your team or customers, volunteer as a team or advocate. If your business is interested in learning more about how to end hunger, contact communitygiving@oregonfoodbank.org.
Together, we can end hunger and its root causes.
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