Columbia Gorge Food Bank Celebrates the Completion of New Community Food Center
The new space will allow for increased ease in managing the distribution of millions of pounds of food to local families.
Sharon Thornberry, (center) helps to cut the ribbon on the new $3 million dollar food bank facility. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
Columbia Gorge Food Bank celebrated the completion of their new $3 million warehouse, community food center, and learning kitchen located at 3525 Crates Way, in The Dalles, OR on Thursday April 13th. The new space will allow for increased ease in managing the distribution of approximately 2 million pounds of food (annually) to some 6,000 individuals in the region.
The event was attended by over 100 community members, artists, partners, and volunteers.
Attendees were invited to tour the warehouse, view the commissioned art from local artists, pick up information about local resources, learn how CGFB is working to build food security in Sherman, Wasco, and Hood River counties and enjoy food and drink. Horchata, Dutch Bros coffee, fruit, quiche, pretzels from Freshie’s Bagels, and cookies from Knotty Buns were served.
Attendees dig into the even banquet in the Community Learning Kitchen. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Attendees walked around admiring the space, with more than 1,000 square feet of refrigerated storage and more than 600 square feet of freezer space, a community kitchen space, meeting rooms, and brightly colored local art depicting local foods on every wall.
Attendees filled the new space with laughter, joy, song, and curiosity. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Everyone seemed to be in agreement that this is a major upgrade for not just one food bank, but for several food access programs in the area. CGFB, Windy River Gleaners, the Community Backpack Program and the Migrant Farm Worker Food Boxes program will all be able to operate out of the new space, allowing for closer collaboration, and easier service to the community.
“They’ve done a really great job,” said Scott Hege, Wasco County Commissioner at the event. Commissioner Phil Brady was also in attendance and had high praise for the project.
Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege (pictured right) at the CGFB ribbon cutting event. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
The project was necessitated for a number of reasons, including rising food insecurity and snap benefit reduction.
“We serve about 6,000 families,” said Sharon Thornberry, the Manager of CGFB. “We saw a huge uptick at the time that the snap benefits were reduced.”
“It was devastating. There were senior citizens during that pandemic EBT were getting two hundred and ten or two twenty a month and not they’re getting twentyfive (dollars).”
“And absolutely no costs have gone down. Gas is going back up again. Rent and house statements are huge. Prices at the grocery store certainly have not gone down. People’s wages have not gone up enough. Even though we have a higher minimum wage in Oregon, it’s not enough to cover what it costs to live here.”
Food was placed on display to show attendees the kinds of items the food bank provides to the community. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
In addition to helping individuals and families in need, the new facility also addresses emergency preparedness issues. Sharon said that Bill Coleman, a The Dalles local, who had hired her at the Oregon food bank some 25 years ago, was the first person who had got her thinking about emergency preparedness and in some ways she says she did this for him.
“One of the things he was most concerned about was that he didn’t feel like this region had adequate emergency supplemental food and disaster prepardness…and that was before we had any idea whatsoever what the pandemic was going to be like. So I carried that in my heart and in my mind that this was something he really wanted to see happen. Bill’s now well into his 80’s and retired in Conneticut, but I stay in touch with him. So this is an accomplishment for me, but it also feels like it was something I accomplished for Bill if that makes sense.”
“My vision for these facilities is that they need to have versatile uses, but we also need them to have capacity to handle food in an emergency. In our area we have wildfires, that’s a fairly regular thing in our region, and during the Eagle Creek fire, our truck couldn’t even get down the road to Portland, and it was a struggle because we didn’t have a lot of storage capacity. Now we’ve got storage capacity,” said Thornberry.
Corliss Marsh stands next to the food banks freezer for scale. The fridge and freezers at the food bank can hold an entire truckload of food, which is a big upgrade from the small freezer and fridge the food bank was operating with prior to the projects completion. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Thornberry noted that the same issue could be applied to overcoming winter weather transportation issues, as well as disaster prepardness in the event of the Cascadia subduction.
The project has taken three years to plan, fundraise for, and build and was made possible by congressionally-directed funding, support from Oregon Food Bank, the Murdock Foundation, Google, Home Depot and Avangrid Renewables, and the generosity of grassroots donors and local groups and volunteers who together raised over $2 million.
However, it’s not over yet, and Columbia Gorge Food Bank is still looking to raise $800,000 to help pay back the Oregon Food Bank some of the funds, and to garner a sense of local ownership of the space in the community. Funds raised will help to build another food bank for those in need in Oregon.
The ribbon cutting event on April 13th, began with a land acknowledgement and prayer and was followed by a speech from Sharon Thornberry.
Thornberry thanked the many partners and supporters of the project including: Ann Naito Campbell, Murdock Foundation, USDA Rural Development, Google, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Avangrid, The Dalles Home Depot, Round House Foundation, The Arts in education program & many local artists, OSU Art About Agriculture, Oregon Food Bank, O’Neill Construction, Suenn Ho & John Flynn- Resolve Architecture, and Matthew Bray - GBD Architects.
She also said that she wouldn’t be able to name everyone who helped with the project, or else she’d keep the audience standing there all night, but offered a big thanks to every one of the 46 partners and countless volunteers.
She also offered thanks to the artists who have helped make the space beautiful.
A wood paneled mural near the entrance to the food bank. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“I’m really proud that we paid for all of this art, and we were able to support local artists,” she said.
Sharon Thornberry, who has experienced food insecurity as a single mom, expanded on why the art was so important to the space.
One local faith based artist, Nancy Guzman said her art for this project was inspired by family, latin(e) culture, and food she also mentioned that she’s been enjoying painting everything in bright colors these days. You can view more of her work here. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“I've been on the other side of the food bank counter receiving a box. Food pantries and food banks have had a history of being not very cheerful places, or places where you felt like you were of any value,” she said “And we've created a space where you can't help but smile when you look up and see the artwork. And we've had so many artists and individual people participate in painting these panels. And so, almost everybody who comes in, they are going to be able to see something beautiful that came from their community.”
Luna Fernandez said that she had painted tamales because not only were they her favorite, but they also represent the culmination of a community endevour
“They’re my favorite. I was trying to think of a food that is a communal work. You know when you're making them, you gotta have the whole army, you start early, and it's all day. So, I actually made those tamales as a model so I could take a picture of them to paint them, and I got to eat them too,” said Fernandez.
Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Following Thornnberry’s speech, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held.
Afterwards, the community immediately began descending upon her to congratulate her on the completion of the project, her after 37 years spent working in community advocacy, and her impending retirement in July. CCCNews opted to let her enjoy the moment, stopping in for just a second to schedule an interview with her for later.
Sharon Thornberry (center) surrounded by event attendees. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Meanwhile, Senie Hunt, a self-taught, singer-songwriter and percussive guitarist took the mic and filled the room with a blending of traditional guitar styles with a percussive groove capturing his West African roots to the delight of attendees.
Senie Hunt performing live at the food bank. Hunt was adopted with his twin sister from Sierra Leone and uses music as his creative outlet to process the childhood traumas he experienced during Sierra Leone’s Diamond wars. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
Since coming to The Dalles, Thornberry has played a key role in expanding food access in multiple counties.
“When I came here food pantries were concentrated in The Dalles and Hood River, and now we have them as far south as Maupin and Wamic and Dufur and Rufus. We’ve got good coverage,” said Thornberry.
The Original Windy River Gleaners and Sharon Thornberry. Gloria Dunnigan, Sharon Thornberry Sharon Preston, and Jodie Turner pose in front of the Windy River Gleaners food basket quilt that now hangs in the Community meeting room. The meeting space is available for local organizations and businesses to use as needed. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
So what’s next for the foodbank? Well they are trying to raise $800,000 locally and get a mobile food bank running.
“When we get our mobile unit we’ll have even better coverage. We’ll be able to go to Warm Springs and Cascade Locks, so it’s going to make a big difference,” said Thornberry.
Thornberry, who will turn 70 this summer, has always had a servant's heart for her community and she says that’s not about to stop just because she’s retiring.
“I’m not a quitter,” said Thornberry.
So what’s next for her?
“I don’t know if it will be paid work or not but I’m going to work on the PACT act,” said Thornberry.
The PACT act of 2022 is a new law that expands VA health care benefits for veterans and thier families who were exposed to burn pits, agent orange, and other toxic substances such as the heavy metal water contamination at Camp Lejune.
“The Camp Lejune one is particularly heinous,” said Thornberry “My children, my ex-husband and I all have health issues directly related to the water contamination at Camp Lejune.”
She says she knows this is the work she’s being called to do, even if she doesn’t know exactly what it’s going to look like yet.
“My hope is to work as an advocate on those issues and work with veterans and their families,” said Thornberry. “Exactly what shape that’s going to take I don’t know. But I’ve done advocacy all my life and I’m familiar with what needs to be done and it’s something I can do because I do have physical issues that are related to our time stationed at Camp Lejune.”
Thank you Sharon Thornberry for all you’ve done for the community over the past two and a half decades and congratulations on your retirement!
