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Did you know that Oregon Food Bank emergency food distribution skyrocketed 28 percent in Washington County last year? That translates into an additional 40,000 people and nearly half-a-million more meals served compared to the previous year. Since 2007-08, when the recession began, the need has risen 49 percent.

Did you know that there are 823 homeless students in the Beaverton School District?

Did you know that Oregon is now among the five states with the highest hunger rate, in the company of Mississippi, Maine, Oklahoma, and Missouri? Only Mississippi, at 7.4 percent, had a higher percentage than Oregon of hunger.

Did you know that compared to August of 2008 there were 31% more Oregonians receiving food stamps in August of 2009?

Did you know that there are 1,064 foreclosed homes in Beaverton? That's nearly 1 in every 36 homes?

Did you know that unemployment in Beaverton is at 9.3%? That means there are close to 5,000 members of our community looking for work. This figure has more than doubled since last year.

Thousands of people in our community are living below the poverty line and, as unemployment rises, more and more join their ranks each day. Beaverton’s food pantries and social service agencies need your support to help the needy in our community now more than ever. Here are a few resources:

• Help Oregon Food Bank fight hunger either by donating towards an immediate need (Did you know that a $12 donation can provide a family with enough food to last three to five days?) or by supporting their campaign to create Oregon Food Bank West, a facility to address the growing need in Washington County. This facililty will be housed at 173rd and Cornell Road, but they need more funds to purchase equipment (such as a large freezer/cooler) before they can open. To make a donation, please contact Barbara Peschiera at (503) 419-4165 or donate online at www.oregonfoodbank.org.

• Volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Call (503) 643-8352 to find out how you can deliver meals to elderly Beaverton residents.

• Donate and/or volunteer for the Sunshine Pantry, a non-profit food pantry providing fresh and canned food, clothing, household items, toys and toiletries for needy families in Beaverton. For a list of items the Sunshine Pantry needs right now and information about upcoming food drives visit www.sunshinepantry.org or call (971) 506-7827.
  
  
• Give $10, Tell 10 Friends Community Relief Fund has been established by the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, the Oregon Food Bank, and Community Action to raise emergency funds to help families in our community that have been hardest hit by the economic crisis. To make a donation visit community relief online at www.unitedway-pdx.org/community-relief/. Donations can also be mailed to:United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, Community Relief Fund, 619 SW 11th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97205.
  Phone: (503) 228-9131

• Help Care to Share coordinate assistance to families and individuals seeking emergency food and other basic needs. Call (503) 591-9025 and ask for the director or visit www.caretoshareonline.com

• Call 2–1–1, or if you are calling from a cell phone, dial (503) 222-5555, for information on food banks, clothing closets, shelters, rent and utility assistance, health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare, community health clinics, mental health crisis services, drug and alcohol intervention, job training, childcare, after-school programs and other family resources. Vist www.211info.org.

"A conscious decision made by each of us, more than ever, can keep jobs in our community. Shopping local supports businesses of all sizes and our citizens that depend on those jobs. Please remember that where you spend your dollars does count. Together, by shopping at Beaverton Businesses, we can keep our economy moving this holiday season and beyond." Lorraine Clarno, President, Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce

• Support our local economy (and the business owners that are your neighbors) by shopping locally.
• Visit the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce web site, www.beaverton.org for discount offers through the “Chamber Stimulus Package.”