Record Breaker tastes pretty good for TD Food Pantry

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Jul 23

Cody Miller always smiles when he and his employees are rewriting the record books. Grocery Outlet is looking to pack the St. Vincent de Paul pantry with a new high in donations this July. Donate $5, get $5 coupon for the next time you shop. That’s a winner-winner chicken dinner! Fundraiser ends July 31. GO, GO, GO!

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Wednesday, July 23, 2025 — As federal food aid cuts ripple through Oregon, one local business owner is helping fill the gap — and breaking records along the way.

Cody Miller, owner of Grocery Outlet in The Dalles, has once again partnered with the St. Vincent de Paul board to launch a community fundraiser supporting the St. Vincent Food Pantry. The campaign allows customers to donate $5 to the pantry in exchange for a $5 coupon to use at the store later — a give-and-get model that’s proven popular with shoppers.

File Photo - had to do it - Bill Marick is my neighbor and all-around good guy - several years ago we towed his classic ‘62 Willys.

“This was Cody’s idea and he has done it for several years,” said St. Vincent board member Bill Marick. “It benefits the person shopping, and it really benefits our food pantry.”

Now in its fourth year, the fundraiser has steadily grown: $1,800 in its first year, $2,200 in the second, and $4,500 last year. This week, it’s on track to surpass $5,000 — the highest total yet.

“We expect to be over $5,000 today or tomorrow,” Miller said Wednesday morning.

Miller has added a competitive twist to the campaign by rewarding his top cashiers each week with gift cards, turning the effort into a spirited in-store challenge. In the first week, the top three earners received prizes, with weekly winners continuing to be recognized.

And it remains to be seen how busted this record will become as the fundraiser runs through July 31.

The timing couldn’t be more critical. In April, Columbia Gorge Food Bank Executive Director Breen Goodwin said upcoming federal cuts would strip Oregon food banks of 17 percent of their supply due to a $1 billion rollback at the USDA’s Commodities Credit Corporation. Those cuts, approved by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins with support from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, have since taken effect.

For the Columbia Gorge region, that means 250,000 fewer pounds of food annually, Goodwin said — a blow to the 6,400 people who rely on food banks each month.

Miller’s store regularly donates food to both the Columbia Gorge Food Bank and the St. Vincent Pantry, and the continued success of this fundraiser could help soften the blow as federal shipments disappear from local shelves.