Linn Benton Food Share

Just starting out as a small business owner I wanted to make sure that I did not lose sight of what is important to myself. Promoting others and supporting them in positive, encouraging ways is one thing that is very important to me.

To pursue this goal in a small way I promised to give $1 for every set of potholders I sold on Etsy to Linn Benton Food Share. So, I sold one set, and I waited to see if anymore sold. At the end of the month I had no other sale. I typed up a letter with my new business logo explaining who I was and what I was doing, enclosed that $1 and mailed it off.

A couple weeks later I got a phone call from Colleen thanking me for my $1 donation. Eventually we got to talking about Susan (who is perhaps the most amazing person in the world) and all the things that she oversees at Linn Benton Food Share. One of their most recent projects is giving groceries to 350 very low-income senior citizens. Colleen told me how much this project meant to Susan and those that received the groceries. This is just a small part of what Linn Benton Food Share does.

My one dollar donation equated to enough food for 6 meals according to a thank you letter I got from Ryan McCambridge, the director of Linn Benton Food Share. I will quote directly from this letter:

“Linn Benton Food Share Highlights of Calendar Year 2020:

• Provided over 5 million pounds of food to our communities in Linn and Benton Counties, equal to 2.5 truckloads of food every week of the year.
• Saved over 1.5 million pounds of food through the fresh alliance grocery recovery program.
• Supported 350 elderly recipients with monthly groceries through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, saving each participant $500 in food products annually. Participants employ these savings to pay for rent or essential medications.
• Distributed 100,000 pounds of locally grown fresh produce. This includes contracts with local, organic growers to support the local farm economy.
• Distributed 26,000 Farmer to Family Food boxes in calendar year 2020. This program, funded in part by USDA, provides high-quality fresh produce, dairy, eggs and pre-cooked meat to individuals and families in need. All told, fresh produce and dairy compromised 30% of our total food volume in calendar year 2020.
• Over 300,000 hours of volunteer time recorded throughout the LBFD agency network. This is a testament to a truly caring community.
• 38,332 emergency food boxes distributed at food pantries.
• 381,847 meals provided at emergency meal sites.”

Here is a link to Linn Benton Food Share’s donation, volunteer and/or internship sign up page: https://communityservices.us/get-involved/#donate

Here is a link to my potholders on Etsy that includes a little story behind the inspiring woman I think of every time I make one: //www.etsy.com/listing/933853996/handcrafted-2-double-sided-crocheted-pot?ref=listings_manager_grid