ROSEBURG,OR July 5, 2018 - Mercy Foundation has been awarded a $275,603, three-year grant to launch a Mobile Food Pantry project by the CHI Mission and Ministry fund.   CHI is the parent organization of CHI Mercy Health Mercy Medical Center.

The Mobile Food Pantry will operate like a farmer’s market style food distribution program, targeting areas in Douglas County with a greater need for access to fresh produce.  Several local organizations including Mercy Medical Center, Mercy Foundation, OSU Extension Snap Ed and UCAN Food Bank will be involved in supporting this initiative.

 “We are very aware that many people in Douglas County have food insecurity, including limited access to fresh produce,” said Lisa Platt, president of Mercy Foundation. “At a recent Blue Zones Umpqua Food Policy Summit, it was brought to our attention that some residents within Roseburg face a minimum 3-hour round trip bus ride to get to a grocery store, so this mobile pantry will be a great solution.”

Planned to be operational by the fall of 2018, the Mobile Pantry will utilize an RV that the foundation has had renovated to include shelves, along with refrigeration and freezers.

 “This pantry is a way to bring healthy food directly to our friends and neighbors,” said Kelly C. Morgan, Mercy’s president and CEO. “We are so pleased that both CHI and Mercy are supporting this very important community endeavor."

For additional information, please call Lisa Platt at Mercy Foundation at 541-677-4818.