Rooted + Rising

By contributing to Rooted + Rising, you can fund transformative work beyond what Oregon Food Bank accomplishes through our annual operating budget – including launching new or scaling up Community Food Centers, renovating our facilities to prioritize distribution of healthy, freshly-harvested food, community organizing for food justice, and investmenting in our local networks.

Our goal is to raise $80 million through Rooted + Rising by June 30, 2026 (this goal is additional to our annual operating needs). Oregon Food Bank is already investing funds raised into anti-hunger solutions, and reaching our goal will allow us to grow and sustain this work through 2030.

Rooted + Rising is a transformational campaign. Unlike traditional campaigns that may focus solely on raising awareness or fundraising, a transformational campaign seeks to catalyze profound shifts in attitudes, behaviors, policies, or systems. A transformational campaign is a strategic effort to bring about significant and lasting change. It takes a big vision, in our case: resilient communities that never know hunger. We accomplish our bold vision by engaging and empowering our community, developing an innovative and sustainable approach, and creating measurable impact.

Some key aspects to a transformational campaign are as follows:

• A big vision

• Strategic approach

• Engagement and empowerment

• Innovation

• Measurable impact

• Sustainability
  

Rooted + Rising supports transformative solutions to dismantle the oppressive systems causing hunger, while strengthening community access to fresh and nourishing food.

This work centers the lived experience and leadership of Oregon Food Bank’s equity constituencies who experience systemic inequity and the highest, disproportionate rates of hunger — Black, Indigenous and all People of Color (BIPOC); immigrants and refugees; transgender and gender expansive folks; and, single mothers and caregivers.

In 2020, Oregon Food Bank launched Rooted + Rising — an $80 million campaign throughout our region to change the conditions that propagate hunger, and strengthen the systems that prevent hunger.

By developing a more just food system, modernizing our infrastructure, building community power to drive systems-change and strengthening the OFB Network — we will dramatically shift how our communities think about and more effectively address hunger. With strong private and government partnership, we will channel transformational resources into programs, staffing, capital projects, sustainable agriculture, technology and more. Our four priorities will be scaled to various levels of financial investment from our community as we bring to life our bold vision in the next 5-10 years.

We know that when we transform our society to be more equitable for all of us, we can create a future where no one goes hungry. Learn more about our commitment to equity and racial justice.

Rooted + Rising will channel transformational resources across its four priorities – investing in programs, staffing, capital projects, sustainable agriculture, technology and more. Visit the links below to learn more about Rooted + Rising’s four priorities and the transformative work the campaign is already funding:

• Reimagining Food Systems: We will cultivate justice in our food systems. Honoring fair labor and the environment, our communities will grow, harvest and access foods that meet diverse cultural and health needs.

• Modernizing Infrastructure: When we invest in facilities, transportation and technology improvements, we will serve our communities more effectively while reducing our environmental impact.

• Amplifying Community Power: Those most impacted by hunger will lead a food justice movement centering racial, gender and economic justice.

• Strengthening Local Solutions: Communities will flourish with solutions designed by local leadership and rooted in regional, statewide and national networks.

Yes! While unrestricted funds provide the most flexibility to support the Rooted + Rising projects with the greatest need of support, we welcome contributions that are dedicated to a particular priority. Please contact our team to learn more and discuss which R+R projects you’d like your donation to support.

Yes! You can pledge a future gift or plan to donate in installments over time. Please contact our team to discuss the option that may work best for you.

Yes! By including Rooted + Rising in your estate plan, you will help build the community power needed to address the root causes of hunger. Contact us to learn about options for including a planned gift in your estate plan.

Rooted + Rising has already garnered more than $71 million in support through strong private and government partnerships. We are continuing to pursue both private support and government funding to reach our bold goal.

In some ways, Rooted + Rising is a conceptual, ideal state of community: All of us rooted in shared values, rising to claim a more just, equitable future. It is also a campaign we designed to galvanize action that realizes OFB’s 10-Year vision - resilient communities that never know hunger.

Rooted + Rising is materializing, concretely, all around us. It takes form in people power and systems-change efforts like Food for All Oregonians. It is overcoming racialized barriers to farming and land access through programs like Community Producer Support. It is resourcing local solutions to hunger by establishing facilities like Columbia Gorge Food Bank’s new, permanent home in The Dalles, OR. And across our region, it is ensuring increased access to fresh, locally-produced, dietarily and culturally appropriate foods for our neighbors facing food insecurity.

These are just a few examples of our transformation over the past few years because of Rooted + Rising. Now that so many elements are tangible, it’s much easier to share and understand Rooted + Rising. And perhaps - all along - you’ve been more aware of Rooted + Rising than you knew!

You can find more information about Rooted + Rising projects by visiting:

• Reimagining Food Systems

• Modernizing Infrastructure

• Amplifying Community Power

• Strengthening Local Solutions

We launched Rooted + Rising on July 1, 2020 and intend to generate $80 million by June 30, 2026. In addition to current-use resources we raise for our partners, some support for Oregon Food Bank will build a reserve to sustain Rooted + Rising expenses through June 30, 2030.

We will concurrently grow annual operating support for long-term fiscal strength and sustainability. Expense modeling for Rooted + Rising programs provides a range of scaling, timing, and sustainability scenarios - a nimble framework to operationalize our vision as we sequence the launch of high-priority projects in response to varying degrees of community investment. Since 2020, we have built a significant foundation of support for Rooted + Rising with key donors and elected officials, and we look forward to inviting our broader Oregon Food Bank community to join us in making Rooted + Rising possible as we roll out a fully public presentation of the campaign.

Right here! This site will be continuously updated with progress and storytelling of how Rooted + Rising is having an impact in our community. Be sure to keep checking back in!