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Philomath Community Services details food distribution, says programs delivered roughly $500,000 in goods last year
Summary
At the Jan. 13 Philomath City Council meeting, Philomath Community Services outlined its gleaning, pantry and garden programs and reported roughly 500,000 pounds of goods distributed last year (valued at about $468,000 in gleaned food plus other donations and purchases).
Philomath Community Services (PCS) told the Philomath City Council on Jan. 13 that food programs remain the organization’s largest effort to address local food insecurity.
Jody Russell, speaking for PCS, said three of the organization’s main programs focus on food: a gleaners membership program, Nancy’s Food Pantry and Lupe’s Community Garden. Russell described the gleaners as a membership-based recovery program that operates under PCS’s 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship and partners with Linn-Benton Food Share and the Oregon Food Bank to collect surplus food from grocery stores, farms and local donors.
“Last year we brought in about 300,000 pounds of gleaned food,” Russell said, adding that grocery partners supplied another 170,000 pounds. Russell translated those totals into estimated dollar values, saying the gleaned food was assigned a value of about $468,000 and grocery-sourced donations about $267,000. PCS also received roughly $58,000 in non‑food items such as toiletries and reported $36,000 in purchased food funded by community donations.
Russell credited stores participating in MealConnect programs and local farms and businesses for the volume of donated goods and thanked the council for previous operating support, which helps cover building costs, transportation and utilities for the gleaners program. She said PCS is shifting from an all-volunteer model and has hired an executive director to provide more professional capacity.
The presentation concluded with a request for continued council and community support. The city did not take any formal action during the presentation; councilors thanked PCS and invited representatives to stay for the proclamation that followed.
