There is no greater gift than the ability to be THANKFUL. Read November’s Message from the Director at pobcpantry.com, one of Portland’s fastest growing food pantries.

The month of September was #HungerActionMonth.  All month long, the internet and local news organizations were focused on bringing awareness to those who daily live worried about having enough to eat.  Ben is an example of such a person.  He is an eight-year-old boy that comes from a family of seven.  Ben and his mother Jackie, live in one of Portland’s homeless shelters with his six other brothers and sisters.

helly is a 49-year-old female that held an executive position for over 14 years in one of the biggest health care companies in our nation. She was successful in a very competitive and demanding job. Then (without any warning) one winter morning everything changed. A sudden neurological condition left her unable to walk, talk or control any of her body movements.

Lydia is a 16-year-old girl that called the pantry one morning in severe pain.  She was unable to eat because of the toothache she had been suffering from for several months.  Her family had no dental insurance, and the pain had left her unable to eat any solid foods.  Providing fresh nutritious food for those in our community is at the center of POBC Pantry’s mission.  That food cannot serve our families if they are not able to consume it due to tooth decay.  For this reason, we have partnered with Medical Teams International for almost a year now.