Food for February

Origins:

The owners of Newport Ave. Market have a family philosophy that no matter the person's situation, everyone deserves a meal.

Observing that the holiday season is a time of giving, especially for the food banks that are flooded with donations, Newport wondered “what happens after the holiday season, when it’s still cold outside and there are still hungry families”? They came up with the concept to raise money during the holidays, match those funds, work with Unified Grocers, and arrange for a large food delivery in February.

Contribution:

Newport Avenue Market has a 100% match of customer donated funds, with no limit.

Food for February has doubled in size every year.

Just barely over the half way mark for the 2013 season and fundraising is record breaking.

Family-owned since 1976, Newport Avenue Market has become a popular grocery and specialty food destination for residents and tourists alike. It is well known for its “live locally, eat globally” attitude and strong commitment to providing top quality products and customer-focused services in an environment that is unique, inviting and fun to shop in. The store has been voted “Best of Central Oregon” 15 times by The Source Weekly and awarded “Top 50 Retailer” by The Gourmet Retailer, “Leadership in Composting Award” by the Oregon Refuse & Recycling Association, “Deli of Distinction” by Boar’s Head, “Business of the Year” by the Bend Chamber of Commerce, and most recently, Co-owner Debbie Dory was named Woman of the Year by the National Grocers Association. www.newportavemarket.com.

Objectives:

November is a time of year to reflect and be thankful. December is a time of giving. But, what people don’t know is, February is one of the hardest hitting months for hungry families in Central Oregon. Money is tight after the holidays, donations dwindle, and food pantries are depleted. In 2011, Newport Avenue Market started Food for February. Newport asks their customers to join together and donate money to this program and Newport Ave. Market will match dollar for dollar.

Impact:

This program has been off-the-charts successful and is still growing. The program was started in 2011, when $1,250 was raised and $1,250 matched, for a total of $2,500; and continued in 2012, when $4,025 was raised with a match of $4,025, for a total of $8,050. The money was used to purchase 200 cases of soup, 50 cases of stew, 50 cases of tuna, and 50 cases of cereal for a local food bank. It was the largest fresh food donation in the Central Oregon area. 17 days into our 2013 fundraiser, $9,300 had already been raised. By the end of 2013, customers donated $12,668.48. Newport Ave Market matched this amount, making a total donation of $25,336.48. This will enable Newport Ave. Market to work with Unified Grocers to purchase foods at wholesale costs. The foods purchased will be specified by the food pantry, Family Kitchen in Bend, so they get foods they need and will use. It's anticipated that Newport’s donation will provide at least four months of ingredients to make meals at Family Kitchen. They serve approximately 5,000 meals per month, so it's safe to say this will provide over 20,000 meals.

Quote:

Our family truly believes "Everyone, no matter what their circumstance is, deserves a meal". Our Food for February program was developed to capitalize on people's generosity during the holiday season and extend it to a time period often overlooked. Our match was to encourage them to give more and show them we too were willing to put "skin in the game," Lauren Johnson, COO of Newport Avenue Market

Support Statement:

“The response from the community and the support shown by Newport Avenue Market are overwhelming to us. We keep shaking our heads in disbelief! It’s hard to know exactly what impact this will have, since the value of each dollar donated and matched is then multiplied by the buying power of the wholesale prices available to Newport Market. Suffice it to say that we are looking at maybe four or more months’ worth of ingredients for meals. With our meal count still hovering around 5,000 per month, this is goes a long, long way toward helping us feel confident we’ll be able to continue to meet the need.” Donna Burklo – Family Kitchen Development & Marketing Director