AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER

INTRODUCING THE COMMUNITY TABLE

For over 10 years, our pantry has been providing food that helps keep our community healthy and hopeful.  Healthy food choices have been one of the staples of our pantry and what families need to keep their kids healthy.  It helps to support chronic diseases that plague so many individuals in our underserved communities.  But we wanted to do more. So, we brainstormed…what if we were to collect the recipes we all love to cook?  Recipes from Latinos, African Americans, Russians, Vietnamese, Chinese, Americans, Filipinos and every other ethnicity that comes to the pantry.  What if we provided them all the opportunity to share their favorite family recipes with us?  We could gather the recipes, choose one every month and feature that recipe in a cooking class.  We would also work directly with a dietician and a professional chef who would be instructors during the classes so that while the dish is being prepared the participants would also be learning about ingredients that could be substituted in the dish to enhance its nutritional value.  The goal would be to celebrate the different cultures that come to our pantry, while at the same time teaching the participants about ingredients that can be substituted to support managing chronic diseases.   We reached out to The Providence Teaching Kitchen to partner with us for a dietitian and chef, and to Trillium Health Services to fund the program.  So with that, the Community Table was created.

After a year and a half (and tons of recipes) the classes have been a huge and delicious success! We have tasted some of the most amazing food you could ever imagine from these different ethnicities and have listened to winning participants tell the story of the recipe or culture.  Through it all, individuals are learning about how to better manage chronic diseases by making changes in some ingredients that are being used.  Small changes can make a huge difference.

Linda’s story was the catalyst for this newsletter. She is a 46-year-old African American female, and during a routine doctor’s appointment, was once again listening to her physician explain that her diabetes was still out of control and her congested heart failure was not improving.  Her doctor tried again to refer her to a dietician and in frustration Linda said, “Look doctor, let’s face it.  I can’t afford to buy the food you are asking me to eat.  If getting my diabetes under control means I must buy food I can’t afford, it will never get under control.  Don’t waste your time making another referral.” She then walked out her doctor’s office in total frustration and hopelessness. 

Below you will find a link to a segment Fox News did featuring The Community Table featuring Kayla our dietician, and Tim our chef.   Your ongoing donations to our pantry help create initiatives just like this that benefits those in our community struggling with chronic diseases.  Your donation is invaluable!  Through education, hands on experience and your partnership people all over the tri-counties are being given the tools that can directly enhance their health outcomes.   If you would like to see more of the classes The Community Table has put on you can visit our YouTube channel  by clicking HERE.  You may even want to try one of the delicious recipes featured. 

Every week we see the disabled, the elderly and many who are hopeless.  They come to the pantry, or we deliver the food they have requested because they are worth it to us, as we all are.    Providing healthy food for people brings hope for a better tomorrow and that hope does not fade easily.  We value your commitment to partnering with us to bring hope and good healthy food to families.  Please consider becoming a monthly donor if you have not already done so. Below you will find a link to donate.

Betty Brown
Executive Director 
Nourish Oregon
betty@nourishoregon.com