6 Ways to Donate to Wichita Center

After the past year, we’re all very much aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has put unprecedented economic pressure on Oregon families. But did you know that this economic crisis has also affected Oregon schools?

Before the pandemic, in December 2019, roughly 10% of Oregon residents experienced food insecurity. According to a recent report by OSU, that number more than doubled in 2020, rising to 25%.

Under normal conditions, nutrition programs at Oregon schools provide hundreds of thousands of children with free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch. Now, with so many people out of work, Oregon’s school food programs are working even harder, giving out food boxes and meals for pickup to families in every school district. However, to fully support Oregon students, more resources are required.

The North Clackamas School District (NCSD) has met this challenge by partnering with NCEF and other organizations to enable the Food Pantry at Wichita Center to serve more families. Thanks to a grant from NCEF, as well as generous gifts from many Clackamas County residents, the Food Pantry has expanded their hours, is providing a curbside pickup option and is adding a new staff member.

Wichita’s Food Pantry is now open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday—with curbside service.

But to keep these essential services in place, NCSD needs more donations. Read on to learn six different ways you can donate to Wichita Center, including the Food Pantry, Emergency Housing Fund, and more.

1. Donate to Wichita Center online Looking for a convenient, contact-free way to donate to Family Support Center's Food Pantry? You can donate online to NCSD programs run out of Wichita Center via NCEF’s portal. 24/7, you can make a general donation, which empowers NCEF to make grants to the Food Pantry and other NCSD programs as needed, or you can restrict your donation to go 100% to the Emergency Housing Fund or Family Support Center (scroll down to see your options).

To double the power of your donation, check to see if your employer has a matched giving program. You can find a list of a few Oregon employers who do so here, or you can simply ask your HR department.

2. Drop off needed supplies On Wichita Center’s page on NCSD’s website, you can find a wealth of resources related to COVID-19 services and a regularly updated list of supplies needed by the Food Pantry. This list includes requests for foods like granola bars and hearty soups as well as calls for hygiene items like bar soap, shampoo and conditioner, dish soap and kids’ toothbrushes. You can drop off these items, as well as other non-perishable food items and home-grown produce, during the Food Pantry’s regular hours (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Wichita Center is located at 6031 SE King Rd., Milwaukie, OR, 97222. If you have any questions, call the Family Support Center at (503) 353-5663.

3. Donate to Wichita Center in person

Don’t have time to shop for supplies—or concerned about going to the grocery store? No problem! In order to limit the amount of people in grocery stores, the Food Pantry is able to accept monetary funds in the form of cash or checks, which staff use to buy food and/or other items to support students and families.

This is a great donation option because it gives staff the flexibility to purchase the most urgently needed items (which often change from week to week). All you need to do is stop by Wichita Center with your gift during their open hours.

You can also donate to the Emergency Housing Fund via this method. (However, when you’re writing a check for the fund, please specify that on the memo line!)

4. Sponsor NCEF’s gala Are you a Clackamas County or Portland business owner looking to forge more community connections? You can do good and get the word out about your business at the same time by sponsoring NCEF’s annual gala. Scheduled for May 20, 2021, this virtual event will feature silent and live auctions, student performances, a raffle drawing for an amazing vacation and more.

Revenue from the event will go toward NCEF’s grants, which are made to crucial programs like the Family Support Center’s Food Pantry and Emergency Housing Fund as well as other impactful services like:

• Pre-K program Ready, Set, Go!, which is held in both Spanish and English
  

• After-school programs for middle school and high school students, such as Milwaukie High School’s peer support group, Sources of Strength
  

• Backpack Buddies, a program for food-insecure students that sends supplies home with more than 800 students in 23 Head Start programs, elementary schools and middle schools

Interested? NCEF’s gala sponsorship packages offer a range of perks, including promotional poster placement, social media highlights, and more. Learn more here. If you’re not able to commit to a sponsorship, gift card donations are very welcome! Contact Jennifer Hungerford for more details, at hungerfordj@nclack.k12.or.us or (503) 353-6053.

5. Have Storyline do the shopping The Storyline faith community/community collective provides those who don’t want to make their way through our already overcrowded grocery stores with a convenient way to give food items to Wichita Center: letting them do the shopping!

When you donate to Storyline online, they collect your donations, then make a big Food Pantry shopping trip. Once the Pantry’s grocery needs are taken care of, any remaining funds go to Wichita Center’s Emergency Housing Fund. Win-win!

6. Attend the Cup of Tea fundraiser Every quarter, NCEF holds a fundraiser for Wichita Center’s Emergency Housing Fund. This spring, we’re holding a fundraising event alongside Cup of Tea, a community tea house in Clackamas, OR, that also sells more than 100 teas online. From March 7-13, 2021, when you buy tea in person or online from Cup of Tea, 10% of all proceeds from Earl Grey, Lemon Ginger green, Horchata, So Fetch and Mountain Mint sales will go to Wichita Center’s Emergency Housing Fund.

You can visit Cup of Tea’s location at 10117 SE Sunnyside Rd., Ste. J, Clackamas, OR, 97015. RSVP for the event.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. Hopefully, you’ve found a donation method in this article that speaks to you. Because together, we can fight food insecurity in Oregon schools!