The Tigard Community Food Project is a local food bank that provides people with discounted groceries and, for five years, operated out of the Tigard Grange. This summer, food project employees said their partnership with the Tigard Grange ended on tumultuous terms and that they are now looking for a new location.
While currently selling discount groceries in the parking lot of the Foursquare Church in Tigard on Mondays and Thursdays, Community Food Project Founder Amy Fiederowicz and other food project personnel told Tigard Life that the group is working on attaining a 501(c)(3) to increase their odds of establishing an official address.
“It’s not an easy fit,” said Tigard Community Food Project Secretary Jason Keller. “The grange was just such a perfect fit.”
Leaving the Grange
According to Fiederowicz, the “first step” in the dispute started when the Oregon State Grange asked the food project to update their tax identification. Up until that point, Fiederowicz claimed that they’d been using the same number as the Tigard Grange. Things escalated from there.
“The Tigard Grange voted to adopt the agency as one of their programs. It wasn’t two entities sharing information; it was one…It snowballed with these accusations of mold in the building,” Fiederowicz told Tigard Life. “There was absolutely no mold in the building, but it was able to be used as an excuse to force us out.”
Tigard Life reached out to the Tigard Grange for comment and received a response from the Oregon State Grange Vice President, who said the Tigard Grange voted to dissolve its partnership with the food project because of complaints about mold contamination.
“The process leading to the vote started with complaints from members and renters regarding possible mold contamination,” Oregon State Grange Vice President Jesse James O’Dell told Tigard Life. “The Tigard Grange contacted companies that deal with mold issues. They came out and discovered mold on items in the Food Bank, which bothered the members, bringing about the Grange’s decision to dissolve the Tigard Grange Community Food Project committee and end food bank operations at the Tigard Grange.”
Fiederowicz disputed most of the claims in the Oregon State Grange’s response and said she officially resigned as secretary of the Tigard Grange at a meeting in July.
“I have a lot of information because I was the secretary of the Grange,” Fiederowicz said. “I officially resigned at the meeting…With the need to still serve families, we reached out to the Foursquare Church next door.”
Since relocating to the church last summer, the Community Food Project has continued operating and, according to Fiederowicz, has even seen an uptick in new patronage.
Temporary Timeline
Fiederowicz told Tigard Life that the food project continues to supply discounted groceries to individuals in need, but that its temporary setup is limited by multiple factors.
“We’re currently all outside under tents,” Fiederowicz said. “We don’t have storage for large amounts, so we actually have been having to give our deliveries to other agencies in order to facilitate what we can…It’s been very entertaining and very cumbersome.”
Since starting in 2014, the food project’s method of obtaining groceries near their expiration date from commercial outlets and other community service groups has remained largely unchanged and on Oct. 6, a long line of patrons formed to purchase the discount items.
The project asks individuals to donate $5 for two paper bags of whatever food is available, but Fiederowicz said it wasn’t required.
“If our guest only has a dollar, that’s great; if they have nothing, that’s great too,” Fiederowicz said. “We never say no.”
“It makes a huge impact; I’m a mother of three,” said Keri Atkins, who was there on Oct. 6. “It doesn’t hurt your pride because you still get to choose what you want.”
With a steady stream of regulars still lining up for groceries between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, Fiederowicz feared the weather change could cause problems for their predominantly outdoor operation.
“That’s why we’re hoping to find space sooner or later,” Fiederowicz said. “A lot of my staff are seniors, and so once the nastier weather hits, they’re not as able to serve. That makes it even more challenging because I don’t want to risk anybody’s health.”
While waiting on 501(c)(3) verification, the hunt for a new building is ongoing, according to Fiederowicz, who told Tigard Life that she’d been looking at available spaces and planned to have something by the new year.
“The goal is to stay in Tigard because it’s where we’re established and because most of our volunteers live here,” Fiederowicz said. “We want to stay in Tigard; we want to continue to be hyper-local. So we’re looking for a place to call home, and that’s the next big huge thing.”
More information about the Community Food Project’s hours and search for a new location is available on their Facebook.
