Al's Outreach Outtakes

A few weeks ago I mentioned that, with the closure of the schools, the back pack program has been essentially shut down. I also mentioned that, as a result, we reached out to the Oregon Food Bank to see if we could have our neighbors at Beaverton Foursquare be designated as an emergency food site so that we could get food boxes built and distributed to multiple schools within the Beaverton District. I am pleased to say that program is working well!
 

Every Thursday multiple pallets of food from the Oregon Food Bank are delivered to Beaverton Foursquare where they are stored until the following Monday. Then, teams of four from various churches arrive at designated times on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to build the required number of boxes which is currently at 350 (we anticipate it growing to 500 each week). Built boxes are then placed outside each morning in a no-contact zone for volunteers to load into their vehicles and deliver to designated schools for the week.  There are currently twelve schools, six each week, that receive the boxes. Every two weeks the same schools receive again. With this approach we will ultimately be providing food to 1,000 families. A great example of working together to get something BIG done!
 
As of this writing (April 17) a call is scheduled with Oregon Food Bank next week to explore delivery options. If established, this program could have a major impact on those who lack the transportation required to get to a pantry or meal site. Please pray for the successful implementation of this program. Stay tuned for updates as this evolves.