FOX 12 Hunger Free Project: The Sunshine Division delivers food boxes to hungry families

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - With the holidays fast approaching, help is needed in providing food for hungry families in the metro area.

The Sunshine Division is one of those organizations trying to help households put a holiday meal on their dinner table.

Executive Director Kyle Camberg said since the start of the pandemic, his organization has seen a dramatic increase in people looking for food. And getting that food to families so they can cook that holiday meal has a bigger impact than at any other time of the year.

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“It’s an honor for me to be able to be a part of this because it is part of Portland’s DNA,” Camberg said. “It’s really gratifying because I do get to see those notes and I do get to hear the voices of people saying, ‘thank you.’ We’re proud of what we do but we couldn’t do it without the community.”

Yost Espelien is a volunteer for the Sunshine Division. He said the last two years as a volunteer he has learned a lot about hunger in his community.

“There’s no certain look, type, age, of people who have hunger issues,” Espelien said. “It’s not everybody you see sitting on the street.”

Espelien helps deliver boxes of food to hungry households. The organization started deliveries at the start of the pandemic since food pantries were forced to close. Camberg said Fred Meyer helped Sunshine Division launch the deliveries and over 31 months, 85,000 households have been helped. Espelien said he puts anywhere from three to eight hours of work in a week for Sunshine Division. He said there is one woman on his delivery route that reminds him of why he takes time out of his week to volunteer.

“She always comes out and greets me with her dog,” Espelien said. “Being that grateful just gives you a different perspective.”

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With the holiday season approaching, Camberg said they need many more volunteers to help hungry families make a holiday meal. If you would like to help you can reach out to the Sunshine Division. You can also round up to the nearest dollar on your next bill at Fed Meyer.

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