It all started as an effort to help feed 25 local families each month. Now it has served more than 10,000 visitors in the last year.
South Corvallis Food Bank is going to celebrate its 25th anniversary from noon to 4 p.m. this Sunday, September 13, at Central Park. It’s a free community event that will include live music, food vendors, birthday treats, and planned activities for families.
The food bank traces its beginnings to Judy Hecht’s volunteer work with Stone Soup. Hecht noticed that most food services were located on the north side of Corvallis, making them difficult for some South Corvallis residents to access.
She was particularly concerned about families with young children who were underserved and going hungry.
In 2001, Hecht took action… she opened the Tunison Food Bank. 25 years ago, it served around 25 families per month. Over time, it evolved and grew into what you now know as the South Corvallis Food Bank.
(Photo: The South Corvallis Food Bank)
It has grown considerably. According to their annual figures from last year, more than 10,000 visits were made to the food bank. Its staff and volunteers distributed approximately 562,000 pounds of food and other necessities to more than 8,000 people.
400+ volunteers help keep the operation running by accepting and collecting donations, restocking shelves, writing grants, and supporting fundraising efforts.
The food bank operates as a low-barrier, shopping-style pantry, allowing households to select food based on their needs rather than receiving a prepacked box. The food comes from individual donations, local farms, gardens, grocery stores, restaurants, the Oregon Food Bank, and Linn-Benton Food Share.
As Hecht probably now knows, things can change over time… especially over a 25-year period.
Carly Fonk, the food bank’s executive director, said “demand for its services increased by 37.1% between 2023 and 2025. From January through August of this year, we served an average of 1,002 households, representing approximately 2,376 people, each month.”
The growth statistics don’t lie. During the same period last year, it served an average of about 750 households per month, an increase of more than 33%.
What gives? Other than the food bank.
Representatives say the rising cost of living, changes to SNAP benefits, and reductions in USDA food reaching regional food banks are all contributing to the growing need.
Many people are now affected by new requirements for SNAP, and their benefits may end after three months, but their hunger does not. The USDA reduction began in spring 2025, when they canceled supplemental food shipments. Those shipments represented about 18% of the food distributed by the Oregon Food Bank.
For local organizations like the South Corvallis Food Bank, that means less food arriving through regional suppliers at the same time that more households are seeking help.
It’s a small town, and when you hear about the South Corvallis Food Bank, or pass it while driving by, you might think they just put food on the table for people in need. But there is much more on its plate.
Twenty-five years of work should be celebrated and supported. Sunday’s event offers a chance to recognize that effort and support the food bank and its services.
They say they are going to have free birthday treats on Sunday. Maybe you can blow out a candle there… and wish for them to serve another 25 years.
This article was written by Brian Lindensmith, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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