_edited_edited_edited.jpg)
THE FRANCIS CENTER WELCOMES YOU
Holiday Closure Information
Closed: Monday through Thursday, December 23-26th. Christmas week.
Tuesday, December 31st, closing at noon.
Closed: Wednesday, January 1st New Year's Day.
November Totals:
How many neighbors received food boxes in November?
-
742 Families
-
2,066 People
How many people received clothes in November?
-
247 People
How do we help so many neighbors?
-
60 Volunteers
-
1,375.75 Hours
Total Pounds of Food Distributed: 23,892
OUR MISSION
Find help from the Francis Center
The Francis Center is a non-profit food and clothing pantry started by Catholic Franciscan priests over 50 years ago. In the spirit of St. Francis, we strive to feed and clothe the most vulnerable in our society.
Today the lay volunteers that work at the Francis Center are from all faiths. We supply food boxes, clothing, toiletries and household goods to the community in East Multnomah County.Whether it be homelessness, health issues, unemployment, underemployment or immigration issues, the Francis Center is there to help disadvantaged residents break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/civil-rights/usda-nondiscrimination-statement-other-fns-programs
KEY PEOPLE
RUDY GRIGAR
Director
Rudy joined the Francis Center in 2016 helping in the food room. With help from Don Gainer, Rudy was called to step into the role as director in November 2021. He is committed to continuing the mission of the Francis Center as a place to serve hope to the most vulnerable in SE Portland.
OUR SERVICES
We serve zip codes 97266, 97206, 97215, 97216.
FOOD PANTRY
Food boxes are available to east county residents Monday thru Thursday from 10am -2pm. Typically we provide canned goods, rice, pastas, flour, bread, beans, oatmeal, cereal, milk, yogurt, cheese, various meats (chicken, pork, beef and fish) plus an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our grocery boxes are nutritionally dense and hit all the major food groups.
We politely request that visits are limited to once per month. If you are houseless we will serve you once per week.
If you can, please bring your own bags.
CLOTHING
Clothes are available to east county residents Monday thru Thursday from 10am - 1:30pm. Volunteers organize and display clothing for men, women and children so clients can easily browse our selection. Typically we have coats, shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, underwear, socks, shoes, hats and belts. We also have toiletries, blankets and other miscellaneous household items available. We politely request that visits be limited to once per month for clothing.
VOLUNTEER
If you want to donate or volunteer, please give us a call during business hours.
FOOD DONATIONS
We accept regular food donations from the Oregon Food Bank, Franz Bread, Puddletown Bagels, Olive Garden, Portland Nursery, Chick-fil-A, Portland Community Gardens, Clackamas Service Center, Boys Team Charity, VFW/American Legion, Great Harvest Bakery, Portland Food Project, and other generous private parties.
CLOTHING DONATIONS
We accept clothing primarily from private donations. We request clothing be donated in clean and good condition.
Clothing donations are accepted between 11am - 1 pm.
We are in great need of coats mens jeans and shoes.
CASH DONATIONS
We accept cash donations primarily in the form of cash or checks. Make checks payable to Francis Center PO Box 66336 Portland, OR 97290. We are moving toward accepting electronic funds via credit cards, PayPal, etc.
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is always welcome at the Francis Center. Help in all areas is needed. We currently have 45 volunteers that help serve the community. Contact us by phone or email for an interview.
VISIT THE FRANCIS CENTER
The Francis Center will be closing at noon on
Wednesday, November 27th.
Closed: Thursday, November 28th for Thanksgiving.
Closed: Monday through Thursday, December 23-26th. Christmas week.
Tuesday, December 31st, closing at noon.
Closed: Wednesday, January 1st New Year's Day.
Weather related closures:
The Francis Center will close when the weather becomes severe.
Our general rule is to follow the Portland Public School closures.
6535 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266
PO Box 66336 Portland, OR 97290
(503) 775-6784
NEWS UPDATES
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Weather related closures:
The Francis Center will close when the weather becomes severe.
Our general rule is to follow the Portland Public School closures.
November 2024
It's been a very busy summer and fall at the Francis Center. The need in our community continues to grow.
In January 2024, we served 588 households food and 140 households clothing. Last month in October, we served
832 households food and 268 households clothing. That's a 40-50% increase in the monthly number of neighbors
we have served since the beginning of the year. Despite the increase, our faithful volunteers are working harder than
ever to keep up with demand. We are grateful for our all-volunteer staff and donors that enable the Francis Center to continue its prayer in action.
This fall we welcomed Juan Soto as our new Oregon Food Bank food assistance network strategist for the Francis Center.
We will be relying on Juan to help us with the new partner agency agreement proposed by the food bank. We look forward
to a successful year with Juan at our side. Thank you Juan!
With a generous donation from Hans and Lynda Witt, the Francis Center was able to repipe the entire facility with new water pipes. We can now enjoy clean safe drinking water in the house. Thank you Hans and Lynda! Our next capital project will be our conveyor belt system that will enable us to move product in and out of the basement - safely! Hopefully we will complete this project early 2025.
This coming holiday season, we ask all our friends to pray for the Francis Center and our ability to meet the needs of the community. May we continue to serve love and hope at our door. And may God bless you with joy this coming Advent Season from all of us at the Francis Center!
