Tualatin - Every year in late January or early February, local Lions Clubs help re-stock the shelves of their local
food pantries at a time when that help is sorely needed. Shortly after the holidays the Tualatin Lions
Club, always serving their communities, challenges itself to a figurative “food fight” to collect more
pounds of food and more dollars to help battle hunger than the year before. This year’s Tualatin Lions
Club “Super Saturday” Food Drive will be at the Tigard Walmart, 7600 SW Dartmouth St., Tigard, and
the Sherwood Walmart store at 21320 SW Langer Farms Parkway, Sherwood, on Saturday,
February 11, 2023 from 9am to 3pm. The winner in this Lions “food fight” has always been their
community food bank partners in Southwest Washington County.
The 2023 “Super Saturday” Tualatin Lions Food Drive will benefit these three community food
pantries:
*The Tualatin School House Pantry in Tualatin;
*The Bethlehem House of Bread in Tigard, and
*The St. Francis Community Food Pantry in Sherwood.
According to community hunger experts:
*The rate of food insecurity (being without access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious
food) in Oregon is about 14.6%.
*About 552,900 Oregonians are food insecure, of those 194,070 are children, (35%).
*About 72% of the people who receive food have incomes below the federal poverty level.
*18% of food pantry clients are seniors, 65 years old or older.
*Of households utilizing food pantries, about 80% of them are able to meet their food needs for
the month with the help of a pantry.
Hunger in Oregon continues to be a significant threat, even with the waning of the Covid-19
pandemic. Due to safety protocols and procedures over the past 2+ years, there has been more need
than ever before.
Hunger hurts children, families, seniors, veterans and the disabled. While the economy has improved
for some people, there are still 1 in 7 neighbors facing food insecurity. Long-term unemployment,
persistent underemployment and the ever increasing cost of food, gas, utilities and rent continue to
plague people in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Hunger starves the human spirit.
Communities thrive when people are nourished.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, the Tualatin Lions will be at both the Tigard Walmart Super Center at
7600 SW Dartmouth St. and the Sherwood Walmart Super Center at 21320 SW Langer Farms
Parkway, from 9am to 3pm. The Tualatin Lions will gladly accept non-perishable, nutritious food items
and will have shopping lists available. Best rule of thumb? Think about what you like to put on your
table to keep you and your family healthy. The Lions will also happily accept cash donations that will
go directly to the community food pantries in Tualatin, Tigard and Sherwood.
Help re-fill the shelves of local food pantries after a busy holiday season. Give your neighbors the gift
of nourishing food and see if you can help your local Lions win the “Food Fight”.
The Tualatin Lions are always looking for fun-loving people to join them in their mission to serve their
communities. The Tualatin Lions can be reached at tualatinlions@gmail.com.