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Emergency food this week

You need food. This walks you through your options right now, walk-in pantries and free hot meals if you can get around, home delivery (Food 4 QTs, Meals on Wheels, Store to Door, Sunshine Division) if you're housebound, day centers and street outreach if you're unhoused, how to apply for SNAP fast (expedited processing available in 7 days), and how to build longer-term food stability.

Step 1

What can you access right now?

Now

The right path depends on what you can access right now:

  • Can you get around on foot or by transit? Walk-in pantries, free meals, and community stores are your fastest option
  • Housebound, disabled, or in recovery? Home delivery programs can come to you
  • No fixed address? Day centers, mobile food programs, and free meal programs are available
  • Have an address but no transportation? Delivery + SNAP EBT for grocery delivery

Also think about what you specifically need: Halal/kosher, vegan, diabetic food, pet food, hygiene items, baby formula?

Resources

Oregon Food Bank

Statewide food bank network with 1,200+ partner sites including 19 LGBTQ-affirming agencies.

Step 2

If mobile: walk-in options today

Today

Open-today walk-in pantries and free meals:

Many pantries have specific hours. Call 211 if unsure what's open today.

Resources

211info Oregon & SW Washington

Statewide information and referral service for housing, food, healthcare, and benefits.

Hand Up Project / The People's Pantry

Portland's only LGBTQIA2S+-run food pantry, no ID required.

Neighborhood House

Long-running SW Portland social-service agency offering food, housing, early education, and senior support.

St. Vincent de Paul Portland

Emergency rent, utility, and food assistance for people across the Portland area.

Portland Adventist Community Services

East Portland food pantry and free clothing center providing emergency basic-needs support.

Oregon Food Bank

Statewide food bank network with 1,200+ partner sites including 19 LGBTQ-affirming agencies.

Mis Tacones

Vegan Mexican restaurant where Trans People of Color eat free through community donations.

Blanchet House

1,000+ free hot meals daily, men's residential, and Bethanie's Room women's shelter.

Hand Up Project

Hand Up Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals struggling with substance use disorders and homelessness in Washington State. The organization provides outreach, recovery support, and harm reduction services, including facilitating access to treatment, housing, and essential resources for vulnerable populations.

Step 3

If housebound or disabled: delivery options

Setup this week, delivery within 1 to 2 weeks

Home-delivered food:

Most home-delivery programs have intake that takes 1 to 2 weeks. For truly immediate need, combine with the street-outreach step or have a friend/caregiver pick up from a walk-in pantry.

Resources

Lift Urban Portland, Adopt-a-Building

Free food pantries and delivered food boxes for low-income residents of NW and downtown Portland.

Store to Door Oregon

Free grocery shopping and home delivery for older adults and people with disabilities in the Portland metro area.

Meals on Wheels People

Home-delivered meals and dining centers for adults 60+ across Multnomah and Washington counties.

Step 4

If unhoused: street outreach and day centers

Today

If you don't have a fixed address:

Some programs (Marie Equi, Rose Haven) also help with SNAP applications and can point to longer-term food stability.

Resources

The Marie Equi Center (Equi Institute)

Portland health center offering gender-affirming primary care, harm reduction, and wellness services for trans, queer, intersex, and gender-diverse people.

Transition Projects

Transition Projects is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that provides housing, shelter, and supportive services to individuals experiencing homelessness. The organization operates emergency shelters, transitional and permanent housing programs, and offers resources such as case management, healthcare access, and employment assistance to help people transition from homelessness to stable housing.

Blanchet House

1,000+ free hot meals daily, men's residential, and Bethanie's Room women's shelter.

Rose Haven

Day shelter and community center for women, children, and gender-diverse people facing homelessness and poverty.

Rahab's Sisters

Radical-hospitality community and low-barrier services for women, trans, and nonbinary folks facing poverty and houselessness.

JOIN PDX

Relationship-based street outreach to unhoused folks with day services and landlord liaison.

Portland Street Response

Unarmed mobile crisis team for behavioral health and basic needs, dispatched via 911 or 503-823-PSR3.

Step 5

Apply for SNAP now

This week

Even if emergency food is covered for this week, apply for SNAP now. Regular SNAP processes in 30 days; expedited SNAP (emergency) processes in 7 days for people with minimal income and resources.

Expedited SNAP eligibility:

  • Less than 50 monthly gross income + less than 00 liquid resources, OR
  • Housing costs exceed income + resources, OR
  • Migrant/seasonal farmworker

Apply through ONE Oregon (one.oregon.gov) or walk-in at your county SNAP office.

Step 6

Connect to longer-term food security

Week 2 to 4

Emergency food solves this week. For long-term stability:

  • SNAP enrollment (from previous step)
  • WIC for pregnant people or kids under 5
  • Food 4 QTs monthly delivery
  • Regular rotation among 2 to 3 pantries
  • Community gardens and produce shares
  • Farmers Market Match / Double Up Food Bucks (SNAP users get doubled fruit/vegetable purchasing power)

Hunger as a chronic problem requires a chronic solution. One emergency pantry visit doesn't end the issue.

Resources

Oregon Food Bank

Statewide food bank network with 1,200+ partner sites including 19 LGBTQ-affirming agencies.

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