Local Food Bank Receives Truckload from LDS Church
On Thursday, October 3rd, Linn Benton Food Share (LBFS), a program of Community Services Consortium, is scheduled to receive a truckload, including tens of thousands of pounds of dairy products from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).
LBFS is the local food bank serving Linn and Benton Counties, partnering with 68 food pantries and meal sites to distribute millions of pounds of food annually to community members. The food and household products they distribute come from a variety of sources, including local farms, grocery stores, food drives, community donations, and truckloads of in-kind donations from large-scale donors such as the LDS church, Target Distribution Center, and more.
This is a long-standing partnership between LBFS and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These donations go a very long way in providing food, cleaning supplies, and other household essentials to senior and low-income community members.
Thursday’s donation comes from the church’s hunger relief headquarters in Salt Lake City and is expected to include fresh, high-quality dairy products, including cheese, yogurt, sour cream, etc. These products are challenging for the food bank to come by and offer high-protein options in their regular food box and meal distributions.
“This food comes at a crucial time for LBFS and our 68-member network. Through August of this year, LBFS partner agencies have distributed 40,281 emergency food boxes to local community members. This is a 19% increase over the same time period last year and has a direct correlation to the rising food costs and food insecurity facing individuals and families across the county,” Explained Ryan McCambridge, LBFS Program Director.
“Emergency meal sites are serving an average of 26,800 meals each month in the two-county region. The donated products will help feed thousands of people across these communities, providing a bit of relief and reassurance that our community and LBFS are still committed to making sure that “Everybody Eats”.”
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints actively seeks to extend help to the ever-increasing number of individuals suffering from food insecurity and consider it a joyful privilege to contribute to meeting those needs,” said Teresa Nielson, local LDS humanitarian aid coordinator.
“We sincerely appreciate the efforts of Linn Benton Food Share in facilitating the efficient and timely distribution of the donated dairy products to countless essential nonprofit organizations in our area for allocation to those in need in our communities,” Nielson continued.
“Since the pandemic, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has donated many thousands of pounds of food to LBFS. We are very thankful for their commitment to serving the needs of our neighbors,” McCambridge concluded.
Media are welcome at the LBFS warehouse on Thursday to document the donation and conduct interviews with personnel on-site.
Food banks like LBFS rely on community support through donations and volunteering, including food box packing at their warehouse, food drives, fundraisers, and more.
To donate and learn more about Linn Benton Food Share and its parent organization, Community Services Consortium, visit communityservices.us/linn-benton-food-share
Photos from the donation at the Linn Benton Food Share warehouse in Tangent, Oregon Thursday, October 3rd, 2024. Including LBFS warehouse worker and truck driver, Morrie Orth.
