Everyone talks about the need to do something about hunger in America; Richard Nudelman walks the walk. Actually “drives the drive” would be more accurate. On the second Saturday of even-numbered months, he and his expanding army of Neighborhood Coordinators (NCs) motor from participant porch to participant porch collecting food for the needy. At BWNA’s February General Meeting, Richard told an appreciative audience how he had come up with the idea a few years ago in Southeast Portland and subsequently had been able to expand the program not only throughout East Side neighborhoods, but across the river as well. At the heart of the program’s success—predictability and convenience.
At the heart of the program’s success—predictability and convenience.
What does a food donor do? It’s amazingly simple. Each donor gets a reusable Food Project bag to store food in. Every two months a Neighborhood Coordinator picks up a food donor’s bag and leaves an empty one. The bags collected by the NCs are then delivered to a drop-off point where food bank representatives receive and sort them, then get them to food pantries for the needy.
How much food do food donors donate? The suggestion is to buy one extra nonperishable food item each week when shopping at the supermarket, but it’s really up to the food donor as to how much food to donate. Some folks will donate a lot, some a little. The amount is not important; it’s the participation that counts.
When is pickup day? The “official” pickup day is the 2nd Saturday of even-numbered months, but the Food Project system is flexible:
If for some reason a food donor can’t have the bag out on the official pickup day, the neighborhood NC is contacted to arrange an alternate pickup day.
What happens on pickup day? Each food donor puts a green food bag out by his or her front door. The NC picks up each bag, leaves an empty one, and takes the food to a drop-off point. Food donors are later informed of the total weight for the entire pickup so they can see how much of an impact the Food Project is having.
Many of the attendees at the BWNA meeting, including yours truly, signed up to participate, and the system has proven to be as simple and efficient as advertised. If you’re interested in becoming a Portland Food Project donor, email Portland Food Project at info@portlandfoodproject.org with your name, address, and phone number. Remaining pickup dates for 2014 are April 12th, June 14th, August 9th, October 11th, & December 13th.