In 2016, Governor Kate Brown officially designated Gorge Food Security as an Oregon Solutions project and appointed Ken Bailey (Vice-President and Shareholder, Orchard View Farms and a Governor’s Regional Solutions Committee member) and Mark Thomas (Director of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care, Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital) as co­-conveners to lead a team of producers, distributors, social service agencies, health care providers and community members to create a Coalition to cooperatively decrease hunger and increase access to quality food throughout the Columbia River Gorge. Inherent to these goals is strengthening the entire Columbia Gorge food system from producers to consumers. The project team participants represented a cross-section of the Hood River, Klickitat, Sherman, Skamania and Wasco county communities. 

At the conclusion of the Oregon Solutions process in 2016 the Columbia Gorge Food Security Coalition was formally established with over 20 original community members. Between 2016 – 2019 coalition membership expanded to over 40 member organizations. Gorge Grown Food Network was identified by the group as the agency best-positioned to lead the effort. A Steering Committee formed to define next steps in early 2016 with representatives from the health care sector, Oregon Food Bank, Columbia Gorge Health Council and Gorge Grown.

The primary goal of the Steering Committee has been to  serve as an ongoing communication and facilitation structure to keep the work of the Coalition in alignment towards the goal of filling the identified gaps in the food system to “serve the entire food system, from producers to consumers.” 

The Food Security Coalition is made up of partner organizations that support the vision, mission, and equity statement, and that share their time to participate in collaborative meetings, trainings, and activities. 

A Steering Committee guides network-level planning and coordination. 

A coordinating organization, Gorge Grown Food Network, houses and supports the Coalition Coordinator and staff, and serves as fiscal sponsor of the Coalition. Gorge Grown Food Network (GGFN) was nominated by the Coalition to serve as the backbone organization in 2016. A coordinating organization provides a “center of gravity” for the Coalition, providing facilitation, outreach, coordination, project support, grant management, fundraising, accounting, and oversight of staff. 

Coalition partner organizations form collaborative Working Groups to build capacity and advance the vision through collaborative projects. Working groups are focused on priorities identified by Coalition Partner organizations. 

In 2019, the Coalition voted on 5 focus areas and formed working groups to advance:

Food Access
Farmer Support/Healthy Agriculture
Tribal Food Sovereignty
Farmland Preservation/Land Access
Food and Farm Policy

Since then, two of these working groups continue to meet quarterly, the Tribal Food Sovereignty group and the Farmland Preservation/Land Access Group. The Healthy Agriculture group meets every other month to address concerns around chemicals used in agriculture.

Coalition partners come together to advance the other 3 priorities through concrete projects and partnerships thanks to established trust and relationships. Being nimble and responding to community needs is important. A few examples of how this work manifests on the ground:

-Farmer Support: “Croptalks” in WA and OR are organized by Underwood Conservation District and Gorge Grown, with the support of Oregon State University. This is a peer to peer learning opportunity for farmers to share best practices out in the field.

-Food Access: New garden beds were installed in 2023 and 2024 by Oregon State University extension in partnership with Columbia Gorge Housing Authority in low-income housing complexes at the request of the residents to enable them to grow their own food.

-Policy: Food Security Coalition steering committee members joined the Migrant/Seasonal Farmworker Health Initiative to advocate for Farmworker safety during the pandemic. The policy group also helped shape the Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan, centering food access and tribal food sovereignty. Food Security Coalition leaders participated in a national Food Policy Council Community of Practice.

• Collaboration between tribal members, the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Food Bank led to the beginning of monthly deliveries of produce and food to Celilo Village.
• Orchard View Farms and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital split the cost of a $1,000 freezer for a Cascade Locks site providing meals to people experiencing hunger.
• Gorge Grown Food Network organized farmers and gleaners to donate hundreds of pounds of produce regularly to the Cascade Locks Food Banks.
• Co-convener Ken Bailey and Orchard View Farms donated 14,000 pounds of cherries per week to the Oregon Food Bank and other food distributors
• North Wasco County School District, with the help of the Oregon Food Bank, is exploring the possibility of creating a food pantry in Wahtonka Community School
• The Oregon Food Bank will soon host an informational seminar about school pantries for other schools and districts who are interested in the region.
• Oregon Food Bank hosted a listening session in Cascade Locks to learn more from the community about food access in the area
• A number of communities in the area are developing new summer meals programs, backpack programs and community meals
• The Dalles is now funding the Power of Produce program for its Farmers Market, which provides tokens to children to purchase produce at the market
• A Food Security Coalition volunteer is organizing a restaurant-owners working group to explore restaurants’ potential to address food insecurity in their communities and employees
• Nutrition educators throughout the Gorge have begun meeting to increase coordination and communication, and have begun developing a Food Hero training for food bank outreach, WIC tours, and SNAP Education tours
• OSU Extension held its first meeting of community garden managers in the Gorge. Over 35 people attended, generating great momentum and grant-writing
• A new Veggie Rx program is being launched in Sherman County to improve food security and access to fresh vegetables in the most rural part of the Gorge
• Spirit of Grace Garden, a volunteer-based food production garden that grows over 2,000 lbs of produce for the FISH Food Bank annually, has reached out to the Coalition network for votes in competitive grant process which would help support the garden’s work.
• For more recent work, check out our newsletter archives

Research on gaps, needs, and recommendations for the Gorge:

• 2020 Columbia Gorge Food Security Coalition Annual Report
• Gorge Food Security Survey, Report and Data SUMMARIES
• Gorge survey, reports and data guide: search by location, group surveyed, and recommendation type (full report)
• Direct Service/ Engagement Recommendations for the Gorge
• Food Infrastructure Recommendations for the Gorge
• Columbia Gorge Regional Community Health Improvement Plan

Founding documents:

• Declaration of Cooperation Commitments
• Governor Brown’s Designation letter
• Coalition Structure (2016 – 2019)
• Coalition Structure (2019 – 2022 

Saving the Family Farm, Savor the Gorge, Hood River News

Food Security Coalition Starts Work, Hood River News

Community Organizations Join Forces to Reduce Hunger in the Gorge, Hood River News

Interview of Mark Thomas, Oregon Solutions co-convener, on the Mid-Columbia Today Show

Group Addresses Hunger, The Dalles Chronicle

Check out our Food Assistance page to search for resources by category.