This list was last updated on July 9, 2021.
This is a list of free food resources in Southeast Portland, Oregon that don’t require proof of income or proof of address. I am slowly compiling lists for other areas but right now I was able to put this relatively solid list together for Southeast Portland which is still a pretty big area.
Recently, a lot has been happening in our city of Portland, OR and my first priority has been staying afloat while engaging in mutual aid to help others also stay afloat.
Which brings us to this post. I wanted to share a list of free food options (including vegan) in Southeast Portland – that do not require proof of income or address. Many of these wonderful programs offer fresh produce and go beyond just giving only shelf-stable products like canned corn and dry pasta.
There are both intentionally vegan and natural vegan options available. Sometimes you have to take non-vegan items home because stuff is pre-packed so you do have to sort it yourself when you get home.
Last year shortly after the lockdown, I would pick up free food boxes to help distribute to neighbors who couldn’t go otherwise and sometimes also for my family if there was enough. I’m not going to turn down a few loaves of surplus Dave’s Killer Bread! Unfortunately, there were people in my life who felt the need to police me and interrogate me about whether or not I really needed free food. And, honestly, I was a little guilty of being judgmental myself when I would see a well-dressed person who looked like a working professional coming by to get free food too. I would never say anything but I definitely wondered, “What are they doing here?”
Eek! I’ve moved past that. Not cool! I never should have done that and I’m sorry.
Because of unnecessary judgment people face when getting assistance, a large amount of people don’t take advantage of free services which then hurts the programs because it ends up looking like no one needs them. There are just too many people who mistakingly think they’re too privileged to accept help. And it doesn’t help when others are cops about it, questioning why someone who drives a certain car or looks a certain way would even need any kind of help.
Also, I personally think it’s rather counterproductive to not want to accept help that is truly needed. There are reasons why some people don’t accept it that are valid (maybe the pickup site is too far or maybe there are specific nutritional needs or allergies that can’t be served with this kind of help, etc). But I’ve met too many people in my life who “don’t want handouts” even though it means they eat like crap or even end up having to make bad financial decisions like opening up a credit card that has a high APR that ends up financially crippling them later on. So not only do they hurt themselves but they hurt others in the process.
I just don’t get it. My own immigrant family wouldn’t sign up for any help and it seemed to be something they were proud of. Maybe it was self-preservation and they didn’t want closed-minded people using it against them? Obviously, I did not agree with that decision.
Not taking advantage of this type of help hurts these programs which also affects others. While I don’t technically need the help, I at least make it a point to go to the end of these food pickups and try to distribute food to those who do. I do this because there are too many people who don’t show up even for themselves.
Encourage others to accept help. Don’t shame them for it. And don’t let them shame you for refusing help or getting help. Because no matter what you do, someone will always have something negative to say. Always. Ignore it. It’s easier said than done – I know. It’s caused me anxiety and still does sometimes. So it’s ongoing work. But try to ignore it. It’s none of their business.
Here are some free food resources in Southeast Portland that don’t require proof of income or address. Please keep in mind to treat volunteers/workers with kindness and give them grace. Many do happen to be caring and nice. I’ve also witnessed many who are kind of rude to pretty much anyone. Either way, if they are the latter to you, do not take it personally. Sometimes they’re just cranky and/or having a bad day. Obviously, that’s not an excuse – just a reason. So if it’s something you can let slide off your shoulders, just do it. Just get your food, show gratitude and get outta there!
- Feed the Mass – I used to volunteer with this great group back in the day. They are now at the Breathe Building a few blocks north of Southeast Division. They give away free lunches on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12-1. The options are either meaty meals or straight up vegan. Yay for vegan options!
2. Sunshine Division – They have a food box home delivery program specifically for people who live in Portland proper and Gresham and are home bound due to illness, compromised immune system, etc. This is one of the programs that truly is meant to be for those who can’t leave the house so please keep that in mind. I sometimes order a box here for an older friend of mine who needs it.
To request a food box for home delivery, go to the link here: https://sunshinedivision.org/get-help/
3. Metropolitan Family Services Hunger Relief Program: Most of these these are pantry shopping sites but the location at Cherry Park Elementary allows you to just drive up, open the back or trunk door and they load for you. These tend to be busy right at opening and are way better after the second half of the “shift”. To learn more and see the complete list of sites, please go to this link.
4. Urban Gleaners: This is one of my favorite programs. They take the surplus groceries from the more….”expensive” stores like Market of Choice, Whole Foods, etc. They are mostly in Portland proper but also can show up in different towns like Wood Village, OR. For a list Urban Gleaner pickup sites and times, please click here.
5. Woodstock Pantry: This is at a church on 41st and Woodstock and you just drive up there and they load your car for you every Friday and Saturday from 12-2. For more info, please click here for their Facebook page.
6. PPS Nutrition Services: Quote edited for clarity from the website: “From June 21 through August 20, grab-and-go meal sacks, with breakfast and lunch, will be available between 3 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 15 PPS sites for all children in the community ages 1-18 (this includes PPS students as well as children not enrolled at PPS). Also, in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation, daily free meals and activities will be offered throughout the city in parks June 21-August 20.”
The part about PPR offering the free lunch at parks is actually called “Free Lunch & Play” and I used to go to those all the time with my daughter and friends!
For the list of school sites and parks with offerings, please click here.
7. Food with Dignity: So this is less an official organization and instead pretty much right outside of someone’s house! There is no set time for when you can pick up. There are local businesses that contribute their food and normal, everyday people drop off and pickup food at their leisure. So you pretty much can go here at any waking hour. I will admit that whenever I’ve come by here, there are slim pickings but if you’re in the area and want/need food, it wouldn’t hurt to try because people are constantly dropping things off. Please go to their Facebook page for more information as it seems that people will post photos of what they are dropping off!
8. Urban Gleaners via Creston Elementary School: So for the summer, there will be an outdoor pantry-style food pickup outside of Creston Elementary School. The dates are: July 7, July 21, August 4 and August 18. The location is on SE Francis and SE 47th. This isn’t listed on the Urban Gleaners website but the Creston parent volunteers had fliers to help spread the word. It was obvious that not many people knew about it – because there was such a huge surplus when I was there at the end that I ended up helping pack up and taking majority of the food. I ended up distributing to other parents, my daughter’s Portland Parks and Recreation camp staff (who had also done the free food boxes prior) and to Food Not Bombs PDX.
9. Food Not Bombs PDX: I haven’t been to either of these ongoing events so this is based on information given to me by volunteers. So please do your own research and visit these spots at your own discretion. So there are two locations for FNB in Southeast Portland with two different types of events.
The first one is at Buckman Elementary school and is more like your outdoor shopping-style food pickup.
The second event is at Laurelhurst Park which is where the servings happen. Full disclosure, there is a rather large houseless population at Laurelhurst Park nowadays and it can be rather sad and hard for some people to watch and/or encounter.
For more info and updates on the Food Not Bombs PDX events, please go to their Facebook page here.
I hope this list has been helpful. Please let me know if you come across any free food pickups in Southeast Portland that would be a great addition to this list. If you have any suggestions for pickups outside of Portland, please leave a comment below and I will work on compiling a list when I can. Thank you!
