New food bank opens in Cornelius to ‘help keep bellies full’ amid rising costs

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The rising costs of food and housing have hit Oregon families hard.

In 2024, the Oregon Food Bank tracked 2.5 million visits to their sites alone, a 31% increase from previous years.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are facing another blow as U.S. House Republicans consider cutting more than $200 billion from the program over the next decade.

“No one in our country should go hungry,” says Rep Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.). “Cuts to SNAP would be devastating here in Oregon. I met with the Oregon Food Bank and other advocates to say this is not the time to cut food assistance for needy families.”

Given these circumstances, the Centro Mercado food pantry opened Friday in Cornelius, Ore. Centro Cultural built the pantry, which delivered food through other ways for many years.

But now, they have packed the pantry with fresh foods, dry goods and dairy items – all available for free to those in need.

“The Central Mercado serves over 25,000 people every year,” said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Centro’s Chief Strategy Officer. “We distribute over 600,000 pounds of food and that’s thanks to amazing partners,”

According to Centro, a bulk of their inventory comes from the Oregon Food Bank. In addition, grocery stores donate half a million pounds of food to their organization every year. The rest comes from local farms.

“One of the biggest threats our organization faces, especially for operating a site like this, is the loss of federal funding,” Gonzalez added.

A huge chunk of their funding comes from a USDA grant that is about to expire and the will be applying for more money in the next six months. But if the federal government denies their request, Gonzalez says Centro won’t be able to accept as much food and will be forced to reduce services.

“I can only appeal to our federal leaders, please help keep bellies full, please take care of families, especially in these times that we’re in,” he stressed.

To find out more information on how to volunteer with or donate to Centro Cultural, visit here.