PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2021
CONTACT: Elizabeth V. Hallett, Peace House Executive Director, (541) 482-9625, editor@peacehouse.net
Peace House ‘Uncle Food’s Diner’ Serves 40,000 Meals
Who knew that Peace House’s weekly community meal for almost 30 years would grow to a four day a week meal delivery program?
ASHLAND, OR–Peace House celebrates a critical benchmark achievement in its program ‘Uncle Food’s Diner” this week, when the organization marked that 40,000 free meals have been served to those in need since early 2020.
“We are thrilled to see that our humble efforts to support our community can reach this scale,” said Elizabeth Hallett, Executive Director for Peace House. “Uncle Food’s Diner transitioned from its 29 year history as a weekly community meal into a four-day a week, free meal delivery program during COVID times.”
After COVID-19 safety precautions threatened to close down Uncle Food’s weekly free meal in March of 2020, the team at Uncle Food’s Diner took action. Led by long-time Chef and program director Maren Faye, Peace House staff and her core team of three full time cooks, the group shifted its focus and scaled up to an increasing need for food in the community. Now the program operates four days a week, offering hot, packaged meals delivered to five sites in Ashland.
“We take special care to produce nutritious meals for people of all walks of life who need a hot meal,” said Maren Faye, Director of Uncle Food’s Diner. “We serve veterans, the elderly, low income and disadvantaged members of our community – and many others who lack access to cooking facilities.”
Closing a gap in the food system and providing a safety net for people who need food is at the heart of Uncle Foods’ compassionate mission. In addition to feeding people without housing, the meals also offer a free option for those who are going without food for any number of reasons. According to Oregon’s Hunger Task Force, 13.3 percent of Jackson County residents are food insecure, including 20.1 percent of all children.
Uncle Food’s Diner employs four to five professional cooks and has a team of dedicated volunteers that help make packing and delivery possible. But feeding people is only one result of the work. Behind the scenes, most of the food comes from donations from local grocery stores, the Ashland Food Bank, and Food Angels, an all-volunteer project led by Pamala Joy. This reclamation process reduces waste, since the food donated would otherwise be thrown into a dumpster.
“The food comes full circle,” continued Faye. “We reclaim imperfect food, we create nutritious meals out of it, and we pass on what we don’t use to our local composting experts.”
The food that comes out of Uncle Food’s Diner is not only nutritious, it is delicious. Varied culinary themes, inspired by the types of food available, generate high-quality cuisine.. Those picking up meals can choose between vegetarian, chicken or beef dishes most days and meal bags usually include a desert, a boiled egg, a sandwich, and yogurt or fruit.
Under Maren Faye’s creative leadership, the kitchen staff innovate with available ingredients and get the meals out for the scheduled delivery times. The dedicated staff and volunteers kept strict protocols during COVID shutdowns, becoming a “pod” that, incredibly, did not result in a single COVID 19 diagnosis. Even as staff and volunteers lost homes and livelihoods during the catastrophic fire events in September of last year, the team stayed on to continue to serve food.
“We appreciate the community support for this critical work, both as a mission of peace through community building, a waste reduction project, and a stop gap for those facing food insecurities in our town,” said Hallett. “Peace House intends to continue at this scale for the foreseeable future.”
Among the many others to include are The Ashland Food Bank; Access; Market of Choice; Shop ‘n Kart; Pamela Joy and the Food Angels; the Wardlaw Foundation; Gardener Grout; the Baraka Fund of the Tides Foundation; Barry and Kathryn Thalden; the Oregon Community Foundation and many, many silent partners.
Photos available by contacting editor@peacehouse.net
