November 27, 2019
Page 5
In-school Grocery Feeds Families
C ontinued froM f ront
said. “It’s part of our social impact
plan, to end hunger in the neigh-
borhoods we call home by 2025.
Hunger is a real issue in schools
and we were looking for a school
partner eager to develop a solution
like this one.”
Temple said Ockley Green
teacher Kelly Cahill suggested the
partnership to Fred Meyer stores,
and the idea took off.
“We were able to work with
the school and Sunshine Division
to develop a solution to keep kids
and families fed not just for one
weekend, but year-round,” Tem-
ple said.
Temple said credit for funding
the program goes to the cashiers
at Fred Meyer who started the
Hunger Roundup Program where
they ask customers if they want
to contribute along with their pur-
chase.
“This is because of the cashiers
who launched the Hunger Round-
up Program, and because of that
we are able to fund these kinds
of projects,” he said. “It connects
the dots between community and
solution.”
While Fred Meyer provided
funding and the Sunshine Divi-
sion provided logistics, the actual
photo by b everly C orbell /t he p ortland o bserver
Ockley Green Middle School student Shamaya Daniels (left) checks out the avocados while volunteer-
ing at the north Portland school’s new Dragon Mart, and resident Kay Cry picks up some items for
Thanksgiving. The new free food bank serves students and the public.
store is run by Joyce Olivo of Self
Enhancement, Inc., the nonprofit
deeply rooted in Portland’s Af-
rican American community and
dedicated to helping youth reach
their potential.
As the store opened, Olivo
worked nonstop getting people
registered, arranging products,
answering questions and directing
student volunteers.
In the past, the school has had
backpack programs where kids
can take home a backpack full of
food at the end of the week, but
even that had a certain stigma,
which having a store helps re-
move, Olivo said.
“We don’t want to call it a
pantry, to take that stigma away,
and we use Fred Meyer shopping
bags,” she said.
Dragon Mart opened during the
first week of the school year, Ol-
ivo said, and is currently feeding
about 20 families per week.
“That’s not including the kids
who come in during the week to
get additional meals or food,” she
said. “The first day we had 15 stu-
dents and families but the num-
bers are definitely growing, once
word gets out.”
Four Ockley Green students,
Shamaya Daniels, Addyson Razo,
Beatrice Pierson, Ilyarah Moteley,
work as volunteers helping Drag-
on Mart customers like Kay Cyr,
an elderly neighborhood resident
shopping for Thanksgiving, find
what they need, bag the groceries
and carry them out.
Although Fred Meyer has
worked with other schools to pro-
vide food for homeless students,
Temple said the program at Okly
Green is essentially a pilot pro-
gram that could be start at other
schools.
“We’re looking to get proof
concept and hopefully find other
companies who want to get on
board and keep these programs
sustainable,” he said.