PORTLAND, Oregon (January 15, 2021): While looking forward to the year ahead, Sunshine Division and Kaiser Permanente remain aware of the many families and individuals within our community who are in need of food. They have joined together to do something special on this important holiday to help offer healing for our community.
As such, Sunshine Division and Kaiser Permanente are proud to announce their upcoming free food box distribution day in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.
Kaiser Permanente’s donation of $90,000 will provide 90,000 meals. That equates to 1,000 food boxes delivered through Sunshine Division’s home delivery program, another 1,000 bulk food deliveries to partnering agencies and organizations in the Longview, Vancouver, Clackamas, Cornelius and Salem areas. Plus another 1,000 drive-up food boxes made available for families and individuals needing to safely pick up a food box at the two locations described in further detail below.
“Continuing Dr. King’s vision of giving back and honoring diversity, equity and inclusion is an essential part of Kaiser Permanente’s mission,” said Jeff Collins, President of Kaiser Permanente’s Northwest region. “We know that connecting people who are food insecure with the resources they need to achieve total health is crucial. In a year that has been marked with so much unrest and uncertainty, the role that each of us plays to foster healthy, inclusive communities is more important than ever.”
Volunteers from Kaiser Permanente will also help to home deliver food boxes and place food boxes inside the cars of families and individuals who drive-up to either of the two locations to receive their food box.
"With this $90,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente, we will be able to provide free food to more than 3,000 families and individuals. This partnership is one we are looking forward to expanding in the future," said Kyle Camberg, Executive Director of Sunshine Division. "We share a similar philosophy with Kaiser Permanente in that we believe no one should go hungry. On an important holiday such as this, which honors the amazing legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., we hope this event offers needed healing within the communities we serve, given the difficult year we have endured."
The safety of Sunshine Division’s clients and Kaiser Permanente volunteers remains a top priority. As such, all food boxes provided at either location will be loaded into client’s cars in a socially distanced manner by Sunshine Division staff and Kaiser Permanente volunteers. Masks will be required to be worn by all parties present in the client’s cars when interacting with staff and volunteers, and masks will be worn at all times while volunteers make deliveries to food box recipients.
Families and individuals in need are invited to come to either Sunshine Division’s North Thompson food pantry location, or Sunshine Division’s vacant Safeway store location, where they run their emergency home delivery program, on Monday, January 18, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to receive a free food box; no questions asked.
Sunshine Division’s two locations for drive-by food box pick-up are provided below:
- 687 N. Thompson St. Portland, OR 97227 (N Thompson food pantry location)
- 221 NE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR 97230 (Vacant Safeway store – Sunshine Division’s food delivery program)
The home deliveries and bulk food deliveries have already been claimed.
Media is invited to attend the following event:
What: Food box packing and distribution
When: 11 a.m.-noon on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
Where: 221 N.E. 122nd Ave. (corner of N.E. 122nd and Glisan St.)
Visuals: Volunteers packing food and loading into cars; vehicles pulling up to get their boxes; Kaiser Permanente President, Jeff Collins, packing food boxes.
ABOUT SUNSHINE DIVISION
Since 1923, Sunshine Division has provided free emergency food and clothing to families and individuals in times of crisis. During the year 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, Sunshine Division launched their expanded emergency food delivery program. With the help of the Portland Police Bureau, and numerous local supporters, Sunshine Division provided more than 4.8 MILLION meals to over 180,000 households through their two food pantries, home deliveries, and bulk food distribution program. In the new year, Sunshine Division’s ongoing food delivery model continues to help them meet the growing need thousands of local families are experiencing by providing free food so that no goes hungry.
For more information, please visit: www.sunshinedivision.org
ABOUT KAISER PERMANENTE
For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.
For more information, please visit: about.kaiserpermanente.org