At Oregon Food Bank we focus on building community power to eliminate hunger and its root causes for good. Our work to address the root causes of hunger amplifies community voices and grows grassroots power. We are building a movement that brings people together to create real and lasting change.

The Food Systems Ambassador Program recruits four to six leaders for culturally specific communities, and supports this cohort for 15 months of relationship building, intercultural exchange, program development and implementation, and initiating service entities at local, state and federal levels.

The program’s projects have been diverse and varied, including Halal food distributions, immigrant rights trainings, delivering essential items to seasonal and farm working labor forces, nonprofit organizational development, student financial education, land restoration for First Food projects and voter registration events, just to name a few.

On behalf of Oregon Food Bank, thank you to the Olseth Family Foundation for your generous grant of $20,000 received in December 2024, to support our Food Systems Ambassadors program.

Today in Oregon, 1 in 8 people experience hunger, and 1 in 6 kids don’t have enough to eat. Last year alone, our network of 1,200+ community-based partners responded to an unprecedented 2.5 million visits — a 31% increase over the prior year. The OFB Network sourced and distributed over 91 million meals, nearly 110 million pounds of food, throughout every county in Oregon and Clark County, Washington.

We know that food distribution alone will not solve hunger, which is why we address hunger’s root causes through public policy advocacy and our Community Food Systems work.

As part of this root cause work, the OFB’s Food Systems Ambassadors program seeks to build strong relationships across our diverse region, develop leaders in the movement to end hunger, and support change developed by community, for community. In 2025, we are working with a cohort of eight Ambassadors throughout rural, suburban, and urban communities in Oregon. We also stay in contact with Ambassador alumni, and offer networking and support when appropriate. All Ambassadors identify as a member of an underserved or marginalized community.

The 2025 Ambassadors have been developing and implementing their projects to improve their local food systems, and participating in networking and intercultural exchange. OFB is providing average grants of $5,800 to each Ambassador for their project, as well as 1:1 support, group training, and leadership development.

Due to the political climate this year, we are facing unique difficulties. Some of our Ambassadors serve immigrant, refugee, and transgender community members who do not feel safe visiting food assistance sites. Ambassadors are working with these communities to ensure stable food distribution.

Thank you to the Olseth Family Foundation for making this critical work possible, especially at a time when needs are high. Please contact me with any questions at YMedice@OregonFoodBank.org or 503-853-8734.

One of our 2025 Ambassadors is Zakariya Mahad in Southeast Oregon. Zak is currently an engineering student at Boise State University. At 12 years old, Zak came to Oregon from Somalia, a refugee from civil war.

Now as a Food Systems Ambassador, working with OFB and Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), he’s helping to create an emergency food pantry for single mothers, who face some of the highest rates of hunger in our region. Others with immediate needs are welcome too.

Zak also distributes Halal food boxes to Somali families once a month. “There’s a small Somali community here that lacks access to culturally relevant foods,” he explained. “Because I speak their language, I knew I could help connect them to the Halal foods that are such an important part of the Muslim diet.”

We are honored to work with Zak and all of our Ambassadors. Learn more about Zak at OFB's blog post here: https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/posts/zak-mahad-is-paying-it-forward-and-giving-back-in-ontario-oregon

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oregonfoodbank.org