St. Johns Food Share

Mission

Powered entirely by volunteers, we distribute food through an open-door, no-barrier approach, providing a welcoming pantry shopping experience for individuals to choose what works best for them and their families, free from judgment or proof of need. By bridging the food gap, we create more joy, ease and security in our community.

Bottom Line for Portland

Small but mighty, St. Johns Food Share has been around since 1988, bridging the food gap for Portlanders. By supplementing our clients' food supply, we're providing an opportunity for them to save their financial resources for other needs such as transportation, childcare, healthcare and housing. While we're based in St. Johns in North Portland, a diverse and often underserved area of the city, we don't turn anyone down regardless of zip code, income or identification. All are welcome to CHOOSE the foods that work best for them, limiting waste (all of our unusable food goes to local farmers for pig feed) and providing a central community hub to bridge the food gap locally. 

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“Being able to get food at the Food Share has helped me eat healthier and eased my stress. I am so glad this resource exists for the people who need it.”

“The positive impact this organization has on our community is immeasurable. Thank you to the volunteers who keep the doors open and the people fed.”

“Best pantry in the NW!"

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

St. Johns Food Share trains all volunteers to treat every client with dignity and respect regardless of any identifying factors. While we do not measure the diversity of our clients because we feel that asking them to report their identity is unnecessarily invasive, we know we are serving many families with children, immigrants, folks with disabilities, houseless individuals, LGBTQ+ identifying folks, elderly people and more. We've increased our Spanish speaking volunteers by twofold in the past few months and are always looking to find ways to ensure our clients feel welcome and included in the SJFS community.

Incentives

Thank you to our incentive partners!

• Raffle: Give to be entered to win two separate Oyster Club Memberships from EaT Oyster Bar and Southern Kitchen! Members receive one dozen oysters each month for one year. Raffle window #1: November 1- November 7th. Raffle window #2: December 3-December 9th. eatoysterbar.com **Valued at $100 each.

• Raffle: Give to be entered to win two tickets to any Portland Center Stage performance through June 29th, 2025! Raffle window: November 29th-December 2nd.  pcs.org  **Valued at $196.

• Give and Get: Christmas Eve (Dec 24th) through New Years Eve (Dec 31) give to SJFS and get your 2025 started out right at Mija Hot Yoga! mijahotyoga.com

↪ Donate $20, get a free class + Soma kombucha (**valued at $35)

↪ Donate $50, get 3 free classes + mat/towel rental (**valued at $114)

↪ Donate $100, get a month of unlimited yoga + mat/towel rental + 1 Soma Kombucha each visit (**valued at ~$200)

• Gift Matching #1: Between November 17th-23rd, all donations will be matched up to $2000!

• Gift Matching #2: During the Give Guide “Hunger” category week (December 15th-21st), all donations will be matched up to $1500!

• Buy and support: During the month of November, Lombard House will offer a “Food Share Beer”. For every beer purchased, give an extra $1 to SJFS through the Give!Guide. Drink and be merry! 

Partner(s)

Thank you to our business partners, Portland Center Stage, EaT Oyster Bar and Kitchen, Mija Yoga and Lombard House!

Thank you to our nonprofit partners:

Stone Soup PDX empowers people experiencing barriers to employment to achieve self-reliance through training for careers in the foodservice industry. 

Since 1949 Portland Rescue Mission has been here to give hope and restore life to men, women, and children struggling with hunger, homelessness, and addiction. portlandrescuemission.org

Portland Fruit Tree Project's mission is to increase equitable access to healthful food and strengthen communities by empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of city-grown produce. 

Milk Crate Kitchen's mission is overcoming barriers to food security by cooking and delivering cost-free family meals to those in need, no questions asked. 

Thank you to Aaron Miyashita for his time and talents in creating our video Sizzle Reel. https://aaronmiyashita.com/