Dear Friends of North County Food Bank,
As you know, North County Food Bank has been working for some time to build a new, permanent home for food distribution in north Tillamook County. We are pleased to report that we’ve completed several important steps on that journey, including buying and clearing land, getting permits, engaging an architect and civil engineer, and identifying a general contractor.
Our current plan is to build a very modest building with room for expansion. The project is located off Highway 101 in Nehalem, behind the Hope Chest Thrift Store.
Senator Suzanne Weber, who represents our district in the Oregon Legislature, has made allocating funds for site infrastructure (water, sewer, electricity) one of her two priority projects for the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction. We need to demonstrate to the committee that this project has community support. That’s where you come in!
Will you take the time to submit a short written testimony to the subcommittee in support of a new food bank for north Tillamook County?
- Go to: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Testimony/JWMCC/SB/5701/2026-02-13-13-00?area=Measures
- Enter your name, email address, and city of residence.
- In the On behalf of field, put North County Food Bank.
- From the Position on Measure menu, choose Support.
- Click Text Testimony.
- Write your testimony in the box and click Submit Testimony.
Here’s a sample testimony that you can copy or edit. It is unlikely they will read long messages, so a short note of support is sufficient!
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To: The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction
The food bank was required to move from the decommissioned hospital that it had operated in since its beginning. It is difficult to find facilities here on the coast that can meet the food bank’s requirements and be out of the tsunami zone, so they have purchased land to build a modest distribution facility. They have completed major steps to get the project started and it is shovel ready.
It’s hard to overstate how integrated North County Food Bank is with our community. Many of us volunteer to distribute food or unload trucks; others work at the Alder Creek Farm community garden to provide fresh produce. Still more of us participate in local food drives, donate money, and sponsor or attend events that support the food bank. We are neighbors helping our neighbors in the best Oregon pioneer tradition.
Your allocation of funds to bring critical infrastructure elements, including water, sewer, and electricity, to the site will provide about 25 percent of the funds necessary for the project. NCFB has secured donations and grants to construct the rest. I believe this is a reasonable investment of state dollars that will provide returns for decades to come for the people of Tillamook County. The site has room for expansion, and the utilities will support future needs.
Please allocate funds for the North County Food Bank New Distribution Facility project.
Thank you.