Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe Donates $34,000 to 17 Douglas County Food Banks

ROSEBURG – The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians gifted $34,000 to 17 food banks across Douglas County Thursday, providing $2,000 to each organization to help ensure families have access to food during the holiday season and beyond.

As the demand for food assistance increases during the holidays, these donations will directly support local families facing food insecurity throughout Douglas County.

“The holidays should be a time of comfort and togetherness, but for too many families in our community, this season brings added stress about putting food on the table,” said Carla Keene, Chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. “We’re committed to supporting our neighbors and ensuring that every family in Douglas County has access to the support they need. These food banks are lifelines for our community, and we’re honored to support their work.”

The following Douglas County food banks received funding:

• The Reedsport Collective
• Community Care Food Pantry
• Winston Area Food Pantry
• Glendale Christmas Bureau
• Glide Helping Hands
• St. Francis Community Kitchen
• St. Vincent de Paul Myrtle Creek
• St. Vincent de Paul Roseburg
• Sutherlin/Oakland Emergency Pantry
• UCAN Food Bank
• South Douglas Food Bank
• St. Joseph’s Community Kitchen
• FISH Roseburg
• FISH Drain
• The Friendly Kitchen in Winchester
• The Salvation Army in Roseburg
• Roseburg Rescue Mission

Each organization was invited to attend a small ceremony at the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Government Offices in Roseburg to receive their funds, and share how contributions, big and small, directly benefit the families they serve.

“We serve 25 to 40 homes every week on Tuesdays in a four-hour period,” said Vanessa Dalton, a volunteer with The FISH in Drain. “This is a large donation for us, this is huge for our community.”

Several organizations mentioned that local families have been experiencing higher living costs for a while, but that the costs of providing that support operationally are also climbing.

“I don’t have to tell you what’s going on with the economy and increases in prices of food. We’re seeing more people,” said Melinda Fugate from Glide Helping Hands. “This is a tremendous blessing in helping us stay open. We’ve been supporting the community for 25 years.”

“I think we all can agree that we were hoping the numbers would go down this year,” said Richard George, former director of the Sutherlin/Oakland Emergency Pantry, “But fortunately we have the Cow Creek Tribe helping every year to get us through these ordeals. Without them it would be a mess. We really appreciate the Tribe and the other foundations that support us, and we can only hope we begin to see the numbers go down.”

Thursday’s donations reflect the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe’s ongoing commitment to addressing food insecurity and supporting the health and wellbeing of all Douglas County families.

“I just want to thank [the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe] for the compassion and the kindness because this will make a huge difference this year for many families,” said Captain Edith Mabie with the Salvation Army in Roseburg.

For more information contact: Lindsay Campman, Communications Director; (541) 529-9159; lcampman@cowcreek-nsn.gov