May 2025 Community Cultivator: Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides

Oregon Food Bank is proud to recognize the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) as our Community Cultivator for May 2025.

NCAP is the leading Northwest voice for non-toxic pest and weed solutions by promoting safe pest and weed alternatives for the health of people and the environment. They work to protect community and environmental health throughout rural and urban communities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, key parts of the Oregon Food Bank Network’s service areas. Many of these rural communities are food insecure, lacking access to food that is nourishing and culturally familiar.

Our partnership with NCAP is rooted in our belief that a healthy environment and nourishing food are both crucial parts of community health. “The most important piece in the health of the community is in the food,” says Ana Elisa Wilson, the Healthy Communities & Environment Co-Manager at NCAP. “Healthy food is how a family and therefore a society stays healthy, with nutritious food and having a balance in mental health, far-reaching benefits can be achieved to have a resilient and happy community.”

NCAP also partners with Oregon Food Bank to eliminate the root causes of hunger — like soaring housing costs and expensive health care — as a member of the Food for All Oregonians coalition, supporting food access for all — including immigrants and refugees. Since the launch of the coalition, NCAP has organized three educational workshops, bringing together more than 100 people to learn and pledge their support.

When Food for All Oregonians (SB 611-A) passes in 2025, thousands of young kids will have access to the food they need to thrive. Our community of supporters, including NCAP, is crucial to making this possible.

“Food is our engine of life,” says Wilson. “We need positive reforms that work for our population.”

Together, our community makes these changes possible. Thank you to the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides for joining us to end hunger!