HERMISTON, OR - River Point Farms is the recipient of Oregon Food Banks' “Hunger Buster” of the year award.

“At River Point Farms, we focus on minimizing food waste at all levels,” Jonathan Miller, Production Manager at River Point Farms Fresh Pack Facility, said in a press release. “The regular donations River Point Farms makes to the Oregon Food Bank are a very important and a key component to our sustainability program at every level of our company. We are proud to be a part of this partnership and look forward to continuing this for years to come.”

The company donated 630,934 pounds of onions to the Oregon Food Banks’ initiatives, as well as 75,000 pounds to the regional Community Action Program of East Central Oregon (CAPECO) branch of the Oregon Food Bank. According to the release, the company’s generosity was enough to distribute to about 900,000 people in the state of Oregon during the 2014 year.

“We are so grateful to be able to partner with such a great company; because of the donations that we received from River Point Farms, CAPECO and the Oregon Food Bank were able to provide fresh produce to over a million food boxes last year,” Diana Quezada, CAPECO Community Resource Developer, said in the release. “Without these partnerships, our mission to alleviate hunger would not be possible.  Our undertaking to provide fresh and quality produce to families will increase and we are certain that we can count on such a great partner like River Point Farms.”

River Point Farms also supports the Oregon Food Bank by connecting with other Oregon growers. In addition to its own donations, the company helps the food bank to source potatoes, blueberries, corn, and other produce to aid The Oregon Food Bank’s local programs to provide emergency food boxes, which provide a three to five day supply of groceries, hot prepared meals, or supplemental food parcels.

“River Point Farms believes it is imperative to give back to our local communities,” Carly Kwak-Bauch, River Point Farms Vice President of Sales, added. “About fifteen percent of Oregon Households are living with food insecurity. Since a major part of our mission is feeding people using responsible growing methods, donating to The Oregon Food Bank seems like a natural fit for us to support our local communities.”

The Oregon Food Bank has 17 independent regional food banks in Beaverton, Ontario, Tillamook, and Portland, as well as about 960 partner agencies to help nearly one in five households fend off hunger.

Both CAPECO and the Oregon Food Bank are organizations River Point Farms stated it will continue to support for years to come.