retobar 18 2002
t1 l u s u ; i v i M
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or more than 17 years Esthers Pantry
has been meeting the special food
needs of those with A ID S in the Port
land metropolitan area. Contrary to
some rumors that have been floating
around the region, the folks who run the pro
gram insist it will not he closing down and will
he around for many years to come.
The misinformation started spreading after
word was received that Esthers Pantry was fac
ing a new financial challenge. That, indeed, is
tme. But according to director David Beckley
and coordinator Gregg Curé, there is absolutely
no way the program will shut down.
According to Beckley, those who run
Esthers Pantry always have had to raise half of
the $80,OCX) yearly budget as part of a matching
grant they received from the federal government
through Title 1 of the Ryan White Comprehen
sive AIDS Resources Emergency Act. Unfortu
nately, funding increases have not kept up with
the growing needs of those with HIV/AIDS.
Cuts have been made and restrictions have
been placed on what organizations are financed.
This year, according to Beckley, the latest round
of reductions hit emergency food box programs.
That means charities like Esthers Pantry,
which received between $40,000 and $42,000 a
year in Ryan White funds, will receive nothing.
Now, instead of having to raise half of the bud
get, the organization will have to raise it all. It
will not he easy, hut Beckley is optimistic that
supporters of the program, especially those in
the sexual minorities community, will come
through.
“We have sufficient cash reserves to last at
least two years,” he says. “O f course, we don’t
want to alleviate that. The hoard of directors is
Itxsking at other grant sources, and we have
added a grant writer to the hoard. But we will he
depending on the G LB T community, as well as
others in the area, to hopefully increase their
donations."
Beckley and Curé say they already have
received a great response from gay bars, includ
ing the Etgle PDX, the Fox &. Hounds, C .C .
Slaughters and Silverado, all of which have held
some sort of fund-raising activity to support
Esther’s Pantry.
he program was created in 1985 and named
in honor of Chester “Esther” Brinker, one
of the first people in Portland to die of compli
cations from AIDS. It originally ran indepen
dently, hut in March 20CX) the governing hoard
transferred its operation and full oversight to
Metropolitan Community Church o f Portland,
which employs both Beckley and Curé. “The
church has fully committed itself to ensuring
not only the continuation of the pantry but its
expansion into communities of color that are
T
B are P antry ?
AID S charity survives federal funding cuts
by T om Stev en son
he need for services is growing all the time,
according to Beckley and Curé. In fact,
Esther’s Pantry adds about five new clients each
month, and the total number always rises
around the holidays.
“You can look at the statistics, and every year
it is the same thing,” Curé says. “Toward the end
of the year people really need our help.”
And despite the new financial challenge,
Esther’s Pantry always is looking for more clients
who need the services it offers. “We are espe
cially looking for women, families and people of
color,” Beckley says. “We want people to know
that the services are available.”
Now that the Ryan White funding has been
cut, the need for donations is as strong as ever.
Beckley says that food especially is essential but
that money is also “very welcome. Whatever any
one wants to give, we will gratefully accept it.” J H
T
Esther’s Pantry board members Bill Elmore (left) and Andrew Wilder stock the shelves
now being ravaged by A ID S,” according to a
program brochure.
Since Esther’s Pantry was taken over by the
church, organizers have been able to save
money by cutting back on things like adminis
trative costs. But the church did keep in place
an advisory board that oversees the program and
that reports to the M CC board. In addition,
Esther’s Pantry continues to be maintained as a
separate entity.
The program offers free food and personal
care products to an average of 145 people a
month from a client list of more than 400.
Here’s what that looks like in real numbers: An
average of 1 1/2 tons of food is delivered each
week, and sometimes that total can rise to
three tons.
The food list includes fresh fruits and vegeta
bles, canned goods, meats and much, much
more. Most of it is purchased through the Ore
gon F(xxi Bank, which charges the program
prices ranging from 25 percent to full cost.
“Full cost is still a fraction of retail,” Curé
says. “Regardless of what item it is, Oregon Food
Bank charges by weight.”
Those items not available through the Ore
gon Food Bank are purchased at other whole
salers around Portland. The organization recent
ly bought a used U-Haul truck to meet the con
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box provided to a client weighs about 80
pounds.
To qualify for the free services, clients must
have a letter from a physician indicating they
meet the Centers for Disease Control and Pre
vention definition of having AIDS. They also
cannot earn more than 300 percent of the fed
eral poverty guideline. For those who are unable
to make it to the Esther’s Pantry “store,” a deliv
ery service is available, but the preference is for
? the client to try to arrange for a friend, signifi
cant other or family member pick things up.
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stant need for travel throughout the area to pick
To make a donation err volunteer, call David
up food.
The Esther’s Pantry system is unique; instead
Beckley or Gregg Curé at 503-493-2222 or visit
of having people just come in and get a box, it is E s t h e r ’ s P a n tr y at 2761 N .E . Halsey St.
set up like a grocery store in Northeast Portland.
T om STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer
Clients come in, walk up and down the aisles
and select the items they need.
and a student at Portland State University.
The idea is to let them shop
with self-respect, Curé says. “Main
taining their dignity is as impor
tant, if not more important, than
the food they get.”
Another aspect that makes
Esther’s Pantry different from other
food bank programs, Beckley
notes, is that it serves only people
with AIDS. Those clients often
have special dietary needs because
their bodies will not tolerate cer
tain items. By being able to come
in and hand-pick the food, they do
not run the risk of having to accept
things they cannot eat. They also
can be assured that they will have
the balanced and nutritional diet
they need.
----- -----
“As far as I know this is the
only program that operates like David Beckley (left) and Gregg Curé are raising money
that,” Curé says. An average food to keep the program alive
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