Emergency food this week

Food access pathway depends on what the client can physically do:

• Can get around on foot/transit: walk-in pantries, free meals, community stores
• Housebound / disabled / in recovery: home delivery programs
• No fixed address: day centers, mobile food programs, free meal programs
• Has an address but no transportation: delivery + SNAP EBT for grocery delivery

Also ask: are there specific needs? (Halal/kosher, vegan, diabetic, pet food, hygiene, baby formula?)

The next step depends on the answer.

Open-today walk-in pantries and free meals:

• Hand Up Project / People's Pantry — Mon/Tues 12–4pm, 4th Sat 10–1pm; LGBTQIA2S+-run, 4115 N Mississippi Suite D
• Blanchet House — 1,000+ free hot meals daily M–Sat, no ID; 310 NW Glisan
• Potluck in the Park — Sundays, NW Park Blocks
• SnowCap — East Multnomah, 17805 SE Stark
• Neighborhood House — SW Portland, food pantry + fresh produce
• St. Vincent de Paul Portland — 503-235-8431 for nearest parish pantry
• Portland Adventist Community Services — drive-thru pantry, 11020 NE Halsey
• Mis Tacones — Trans People of Color eat free, 1670 NE Killingsworth
• Oregon Food Bank locator — foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org for nearest by ZIP

Many pantries have specific hours. Call 211 if unsure what's open today.

Home-delivered food:

• Food 4 QTs (WERQ) — monthly delivery for trans/gender-expansive households, intake via WERQ
• Meals on Wheels People — 60+, daily meal delivery
• Store to Door Oregon — volunteer grocery shopping/delivery for homebound seniors/disabled; 503-200-3333
• Sunshine Division — home-delivered food boxes via DoorDash partnership
• Lift Urban Portland — Adopt-a-Building for NW/Downtown affordable housing residents

Most home-delivery programs have intake that takes 1–2 weeks. For truly immediate need, combine with the street-outreach step or have a friend/caregiver pick up from a walk-in pantry.

For clients with no fixed address:

• Rose Haven — day shelter, meals, hygiene; welcomes trans and marginalized genders
• Marie Equi Center — LGBTQ+ day center, snacks + SNAP navigation
• Rahab's Sisters — Friday gatherings in Montavilla, centers women/trans/nonbinary folks
• Blanchet House — hot meals daily, no ID required
• JOIN PDX — street outreach teams; they come to you
• Transition Projects Day Center — meals, mail, hygiene
• Portland Street Response — unarmed crisis team for mental health + basic needs, 503-823-7773

Some programs (Marie Equi, Rose Haven) also help with SNAP applications and can point to longer-term food stability.

Even if emergency food is covered for this week, apply for SNAP now. Regular SNAP processes in 30 days; expedited SNAP (emergency) processes in 7 days for clients with minimal income and resources.

Expedited SNAP eligibility:

• Less than $150 monthly gross income + less than $100 liquid resources, OR
• Housing costs exceed income + resources, OR
• Migrant/seasonal farmworker

Apply through ONE Oregon (one.oregon.gov) or walk-in at county SNAP office. Run the SNAP+OHP combined application protocol for the full path.

Emergency food solves this week. For long-term stability:

• SNAP enrollment (from previous step)
• WIC for pregnant people or kids under 5
• Food 4 QTs monthly delivery
• Regular rotation among 2–3 pantries
• Community gardens and produce shares
• Farmers Market Match / Double Up Food Bucks (SNAP users get doubled fruit/vegetable purchasing power)

Hunger as a chronic problem requires a chronic solution. One emergency pantry visit doesn't end the issue.