Empowering Communities and Nourishing Lives
Our Vision: No one should go hungry – because access to healthy food is a basic human right.
Our Vision:
To end hunger in Columbia County.
Columbia Pacific Food Bank (CPFB) is the regional food bank located in St. Helens.
We participate in the Oregon Food Bank Network of Regional Food Banks. Our own distribution network includes partner agencies in Vernonia, Scappoose, St. Helens, Rainier and Clatskanie.
Our Mission:
“Empowering Communities, Nourishing Lives: Our Mission to provide access to healthy food and resources”
At Columbia Pacific Food Bank, our unwavering mission is to provide access to healthy food and resources to individuals struggling with food insecurities in Columbia County. In doing so, we alleviate hunger and promote the well-being of individuals and families across our region. As part of our commitment to social equity, we are dedicated to providing nourishment and fostering hope for those facing food insecurity.
Through collaborative partnerships with local organizations, volunteers, and donors, we strive to create a resilient and inclusive community where no one goes hungry. Our mission is anchored in these core principles:
Alleviating Hunger: We recognize the urgent need for accessible and nutritious food. Our foremost goal is to distribute food resources efficiently and equitably to individuals and families facing hunger in Columbia County
Community Collaboration: We strongly believe in the spirit of collaboration. Through partnerships with local businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and dedicated volunteers, we foster a network of compassion that amplifies our impact and reaches every corner of Columbia County.
Equity-Centered Advocacy: We strive to dismantle barriers to access, address systemic inequalities, and advocate for policies that uplift the most vulnerable members of our community.
Sustainability: We are dedicated stewards of our resources. We strive for zero-waste and maximize the positive effects of our efforts. By promoting sustainable practices, we aim to have a lasting impact on both the environment and the lives of those we serve.
As we press forward with our mission, we envision a future where every individual in our region enjoys access to nutritious food, experiences a renewed sense of hope, and is part of a supportive community that champions their well-being.
Join us in our journey to fight food insecurity and end hunger in Columbia County.
We Accomplish Our Mission By:
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Soliciting, collecting, preparing, and packaging food for distribution through our network of partner agencies and programs.
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Working to fight hunger’s root causes through education, public awareness, and community advocacy.
- Donations! We appreciate your donations. Anything you give goes directly to those who need help. Click here to donate!
Founded in 1998, the Columbia Pacific Food Bank distributes an average of 16 tons of food each week throughout the county via food pantries; community meals; senior centers; and backpack, brown bag, domestic violence and children’s programs.
We serve 1 in 4 individuals in Columbia County through our programs. 31% of our clients are children, 41% are adults, 22% are seniors, and a large percentage of our clients are working families.
What We Do:
Food Distribution
We distribute food throughout the county so that those in need have access to healthy, nutritious, food.
Nutrition Education
We provide access to resources such as nutrition education, cooking classes and gardening classes.
Economic Development
We support economic development within the county to create family wage jobs as a long-term solution to overcome food insecurity.
Advocacy
We provide advocacy centered on hunger issues.
How We Support Our Community
Food Bank Programs:
Food Pantries
A food pantry is a local, welcoming space where you can go to pick up an emergency food box that will you 2-3 days
We understand that it’s never easy to ask for assistance. We believe that having food is the most basic of all human needs. Many of us have been there, found ourselves in a position where we have needed help. That’s why we make getting assistance from one of our food pantries simple and welcoming.
While we can’t guarantee the food we have available week-to-week we try our best to work with food allergies and intolerances. Check out Columbia County’s community Food Pantries by clicking here.
Food Programs
Our food programs are all a bit different and unique to each location. Most commonly you will find local, seasonal produce. Some programs have brown bag lunch or single meals available.
Our food programs are simple and inclusive. Simply show up and receive food assistance. See each food program for their unique offering, location, and hours.
Food program availability is open to anyone and available on a first come, first serve basis. Check out our food programs by clicking here.
We distribute 16.5 tons of food a week to these pantries and programs:
Clatskanie
- Turning Point Community Center Food Pantry
- Head Start
- School Summer Meal Program
- Stone Soup
- Clatskanie Senior Center
Mist-Birkenfeld
- Mobile Food Pantry
Rainier
- H.O.P.E of Rainier Food Pantry
- Rainier Senior Center
- Rainier Backpack Program
- School Summer Meal Program
Scappoose
- St Vincent DePaul Food Pantry
- Scappoose Foursquare Food Pantry
- Scappoose Backpack Program
- Share and Care
- Revitalize Wellness
- Scappoose Library
St Helens
- H.E.L.P Food Pantry
- Community Action Team (CAT)
- Community Meals
- Cooking Matters (takes place in multiple communities)
- H.E.L.P. Brown Bag
- SAFE
- Summer School Meal Program
- Head Start
- DHS- Self Sufficiency Office
- DHS – Aging and People With Disabilities office
- Columbia Health Services/WIC Office
- St Helens High School Students in Need Program
- St Helens Backpack Program
- St Helens Senior Center
- Medicine Wheel Recovery
- Holiday Hope
Vernonia
- Vernonia Cares Food Pantry
- Head Start
- School Summer Meal Program
- Vernonia Senior Center
Our Company Culture:
As a social-impact and mission-driven organization, our culture is inclusive, diverse and unique in its own way. We are all passionate about our individual set of skills, gifts and talents that collectively come together to support our mission and vision.
Our company culture is:
Progressive
- We are committed to challenging the status quo of the traditional workforce and business as usual.
- We are committed to growth, innovation and doing things differently.
- We value creativity, the pursuit of knowledge and the sharing of expertise that results in social justice.
- As resources permit, we seek to provide opportunities for employees to learn and grow personally and professionally.
- We maintain an environment of creativity and innovation in the pursuit of excellence.
Inclusive
- We are deeply committed to investing in diversity and inclusion, and creating an inclusive workplace culture that fosters psychological safety for everyone.
- We acknowledge that and respect different socioeconomic identities and everyone’s lived experiences.
- We value active listening and learning; and greatly appreciate the worth and diversity of all key stakeholders – including our staff, our clients, our donors, our agency partners and our volunteers.
Sustainable
- We are committed to being good stewards of our resources, creating new ways to improve our services and effectively utilizing community support that sustains our work.
- We are also committed to the mental, emotional, physical and psychological well-being of our employees. Therefore we honor rest over hustle culture, and you will get sub-zero brownie points for working on a Sunday.
Flexible
- We offer a flexible work environment, and a generous PTO policy because, let’s face it – life happens and nothing ever goes according to plan.
Casual & Humorous
- Ditch the corporate suit and tie. Wear a trucker hat, jeans and your favorite T-shirt in the office – or anything that makes you feel comfortable, and makes you feel like you.
- We take our work seriously and we balance our work with fun – including injecting a lot of humor and real-life talk into our daily team conversations.
Collaborative
- We believe in the importance of our mission and that only a united and committed workforce can fulfill that mission. Therefore we embody a spirit of collaboration over competition.
- Our volunteers, our donors, our staff, our board members and our partner are the lifeforce behind the day to day operations of our organization, we could not do this work without each other.
- We value and acknowledge the diverse talents, backgrounds, passions, contributions and abilities of our entire community.