Newport Ave. Market Raises $50K to Fight Hunger

Newport Avenue Market, based in Bend, Ore., has raised $50,000 in its Food for February fundraiser that will be used to purchase groceries at cost for Family Kitchen of Bend, providing meals for a year. The store matched shoppers’ donations dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000.

Since 2011, Food for February has raised nearly $185,000, including $89,000 in matching funds from Newport Avenue Market. February is one of the hardest months for the food-insecure in central Oregon, according to the grocer.

The store works with its wholesaler, Commerce, Calif.-based Unified Grocers, to use the money raised to order fresh food items from Family Kitchen’s shopping list.

"Food for February represents Family’s Kitchen largest in-kind donation each year, coming from hundreds of shoppers and the employee-owned market,” said Donna Burklo, Family Kitchen's development director. “That represents a lot of people caring for their neighbors – it is a true community effort.”