Partners will likely have noticed that there continues to be fluctuations in the variety and amount of food available through OFB Metro and West Warehouses. We foresee OFB’s supply of food to be variable for the next few months, however here are some things that we are working on in response to these undesirable fluctuations.

• USDA-TEFAP (Government commodities):

  • There was an anticipated and unavoidable decrease in the amount of USDA TEFAP food that came to Oregon in the months of January and February.  Levels of inventory will increase moderately in March thru June. However there will only be a “Baseline” level of USDA TEFAP commodities available for Oregon. We haven’t seen these baseline low-levels since 2016. This flow of food is funded by US Government and controlled by federal legislature.  

  • TEFAP Agencies will experience this impact directly, but non-TEFAP agencies will also feel indirect effects as TEFAP sites will need to increase access of other food streams (Donated, Purch-don, FTB)

• State Funding: OFB has been the recipient of multiple rounds of funding from the State of Oregon for food purchases. In previous rounds, Metro and West Warehouses received a portion of the Statewide purchases, resulting in smaller quantities of a wider variety of items. For the current round, Metro and West Warehouses have opted out of the Statewide option so we could focus on larger/consistent volumes of high demand items (eggs, rice, oil, beans, masa, UHT milk). The foods you see on POL marked at PURCH/DON are what have been purchased with these funds. We are nearing the end of this source of funding, but are searching for opportunities to fund similar food purchases.  

• Produce: We are feeling the effects of seasonality and produce availability. This is the time of year, as we wait for spring/summer harvests to begin, where we see reduced variety. We have great local produce options for storage crops (root veg, potatoes, onions, apples, pears) and are always  looking for spot offers out of California, but those offers are unpredictable. We have been able to secure some consistent loads of citrus through USDA that will be coming in over the next few months.    

• Meat: In response to many concerns over the winter we are working on increasing the availability and variety of  free meat. While partners will begin to see more meat, please know that there is only a moderate amount of frozen meat available. We are aware that this is unlikely to meet your clients demand, and will continue to look for increased sources of frozen and shelf stable meat. Non-TEFAP agencies will see different selections and  should look for meat on a separate allocation or available on the POL online ordering page.    

• Eggs: Fresh eggs will continue to be available through February and March. However please note that the current funding source that makes these eggs free to partners is set to run out towards the end of March. We are exploring additional funding options and will continue to supply eggs through the Food To Buy program for Purchase by Agencies. Please be aware, however, that Oregon Food Bank is subject to the same market pressures that consumers are facing - increased price and decreased availability

• Food To Buy (FTB): We are working to increase the amount and variety of foods available on Food To Buy to help mitigate drops in other food streams.  Agencies with funds to use on this food stream are encouraged to lean into this option and send us feedback if there are staple items you’re not seeing.