COMMUNITY MEALS
FOOD ON THE STREET By Damian Mann for the Mail Tribune
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cross the Rogue Valley, there has been a long-term community effort to feed the hungry. The Gospel Mission, St. Vincent de Paul, ACCESS and Uncle Food’s Diner are just some of the grassroots efforts to get meals to hungry people. St. Vincent in Medford has been offering meals since it was begun in 1982 by Bill and Lil Howe. “We serve five hot lunches a week,” said Rich Hansen, with St. Vincent. “At times, we’ve had over 200 people eating in our dining room.”
Efforts to feed the hungry have increased, but it never seems to catch up to the need
St. Vincent offers lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Gospel Mission in Medford offers dinner. Other organizations pass out meals at various locations, including at Hawthorne Park. Since the pandemic started, St. Vincent has had to keep the dining room closed, instead passing hot lunches served in clamshell-style containers to those waiting outside. Hansen said he hopes the dining room is able to reopen soon because
it offers a place to socialize and relax for those living on the streets. The meals also go to the working poor, people who have a job but barely earn enough to feed and house themselves. Hansen said St. Vincent has a good menu, receiving food donations from local restaurants and even from Rogue Valley Manor. Gleaners provide fresh fruits and vegetables. While the dining room is the ideal spot to sit down and have lunch, Hansen said there have been behavioral issues in the past. As a result, a security guard was hired to help keep the peace inside the building. “It’s not too hard to understand why we have fights,” Hansen said. “Many of the people who are homeless are not happy about it.”
JAMIE LUSCH / MAIL TRIBUNE
Maren Faye of Phoenix helps with meal preparation for Uncle Food’s Diner in Ashland.
“We soon realized how many hungry people there are out there. Just in the last two years things have really amped up.” Elizabeth Hallett, Uncle Food’s Diner 14
| Our Valley
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4/23/2022 12:14:42 PM
