From its inception sixteen years ago, Ashland Food Project has provided a simple but impactful way for people to share food and build community.
Today, we can celebrate many successes. Each month, AFP food donations help nearly 600 local households. Giving exceeds pre-pandemic levels of support. And in December, our lifetime food donations to Ashland Community Food Bank surpassed two million pounds!
Yet the need for food assistance persists. In 2025, we commit to enlisting more community participation and maximizing our contributions to the Food Bank. We share this report to update our progress in the past year and recognize the importance of our donors’ ongoing participation. Thanks to all our donors for making the past year a success!
The mission of the Ashland Food Project is to help feed those in need and strengthen community connections by bringing neighbors together to donate food to the Ashland Community Food Bank.
Total Number of AFP Donors: 2,500
Neighborhood Coordinators: 140
District Coordinators: 14
Number of Paid Staff Hours: 0
Number of Volunteer Hours (2024): 4,968
Total Amount of Food Donated Since 2009: 2,004,351 pounds
2024 Corporate Sponsors:
Ashland Food Co-op, Evergreen Federal Bank, Harry & David, Paddington Family of Stores, Ravassipour Orthodontics, Rogue Food Unites,
Shop’n Kart, White Dental Studio
“… Your kindnesses made all the difference. I was treated with dignity and human kindness and caring… The food that we received will help us put money towards our rent and other bills.”
This appreciation, shared recently in a note to Ashland Community Food Bank from an Ashland couple in their 70s, underscores how meaningful community support can be in combating food insecurity. Although they exist as two separate entities, Ashland Community Food Bank (formerly Ashland Emergency Food Bank) and Ashland Food Project are united in their common goal of minimizing food insecurity in the community.
So what exactly is the difference between the Food Bank and the Food Project?
Although they exist as two separate entities, Ashland Community Food Bank (formerly Ashland Emergency Food Bank) and Ashland Food Project are united in their common goal of minimizing food insecurity in the community.
So what exactly is the difference between the Food Bank and the Food Project?
AFP, an all-volunteer organization, collects food from community members through the Green Bag program six times per year and passes the food donations onto the Ashland Community Food Bank. ACFB, supported by a small staff and strong base of volunteers, receives food and financial donations from a variety of organizations, including AFP, and distributes food to the community through numerous channels.
According to ACFB Executive Director Amey Broeker, Ashland Food Project is one of ACFB’s most valued community partners. As the source of 29% of the 672,500 pounds of food ACFB distributed in 2024, Ashland Food Project is, in Broeker’s words, “critical to the success of what we do. The food and financial support make it possible for ACFB to meet the demand in our community. Without this amazing system of support—and we feel our relationship just keeps getting stronger—we would never be able to provide the quality or quantity of food needed by our friends and neighbors.”
From its inception, AFP has consistently worked to lift up the work of ACFB and support the Food Bank’s efforts in whatever way we can. In recent years, inflation has cut into families’ budgets, and the community’s food needs have continued to rise; in the past year alone, the number of households seeking assistance from ACFB increased 10%. ACFB relies on AFP food donations to support people with their “foundational human needs,” said Broeker.
Furthermore, food donations provide a source of uplift both for people who receive food donations and those who give. As Broeker emphasized, “We all deserve to be nourished with respect and kindness. A key indicator of resilience in the face of stress/trauma is a sense of belonging and community. We want all to know we care.”
AFP, through its donors and volunteers, helps our community meet those needs.
Did you know…
… that to maintain our current donation levels, AFP needs to register several hundred new donors each year? Due to regular life changes (like moving, health, and changes to financial circumstances), about 1 in 6 current donors will step back from AFP involvement in 2025. One of our biggest ongoing challenges is maintaining our donor base so that we can continue our contributions to the Food Bank. In 2025, keep an eye out for our upcoming Ask a Friend campaign to learn how you can help replenish our donor base and provide maximum support to the Food Bank!
Ashland Food Project Board of Directors
Sally Kirkpatrick (President) • John Trivers (Vice President) • Amy Blossom (Secretary) • Ingrid Laursen (Treasurer) • Linda Peterson Adams • Larry Chapman • Liz Cooper • Nathaniel Hardy • Frank Honts • Eliza Kauder • Steve Russo
