A simple donation process

According to Marcy Bliss, another member of the Medford Food Project’s board of directors, the organization reached an incredible milestone last year.

“In December 2022, we surpassed two million pounds of food collected,” she said.

For those who want to participate, the Medford Food Project has created a simple process for food collection and donation.

First, neighborhood coordinators sign up friends, relatives and neighbors to become food donors. Or, people may sign up through the Medford Food Project’s website. Every donor gets a reusable green bag to put their donations in.

“Then you are put on a route for the neighborhood coordinator who is closest to your area,” explained Bliss. Neighborhood coordinators also call and remind donors when the next pickup date is.

Then when donors go shopping, they purchase a few extra nonperishable food items and store them in their green bag until the next pickup.

Every two months — on the second Saturday of every even month — food donors put their green bags outside their front doors.

Neighborhood coordinators pick up the full green bags and leave empty ones for next time. The new empty bag includes a thank you card, which has the next pickup date and the contact information for their neighborhood coordinator.

“At the bottom of the bag, there’s a logo and information about our sponsor, and that’s where Southern Oregon Subaru has been so helpful. They’ve been a sponsor for us all of these years,” said Perry.

When the pickup is complete, the coordinators take the bags to a central site where volunteers unload the cars, empty the bags and sort the food. Then everything is boxed up and placed on pallets. Each pantry takes away an equal portion of food.

In addition to nonperishable food items, Bliss explained they also collect toiletries.

“We’ve started polling the pantries and asking what they need,” she said, “and communicate that with the donors.”

Sharing, caring & compassion

As an all-volunteer organization, the Medford Food Project appreciates everyone who helps them complete their mission. However, they still require funding for things like printing and buying green bags.

“Southern Oregon Subaru is one of our longest and best supporters. They’ve been with us from the outset, providing monetary support to purchase our thank you cards and other funding pieces we need to keep going,” said Perry.

For twelve years, the Medford Food Project has made significant contributions to local pantries, and helped more people in the community have access to food.

With food insecurity plaguing households throughout the country, it is more important than ever for those that are able to help, to do so. Even if a friend or neighbor looks fine, you never know if they can’t afford their next meal.

Even with so many people struggling, the Medford Food Project has had an incredible impact on the community. They are grateful for the many volunteers that help, and the partnerships with their sponsors.

“We could not do this without our sponsors, like Southern Oregon Subaru,” Perry said. “They help us with the necessary infrastructure and items we need to make this venture successful.”