In an effort to bolster the prevalence of free meals around Portland, the city-county Joint Office of Homeless Services will directly pay meal providers.
The step is unusual. The city and county has largely relied on private nonprofits and donations to serve meals to homeless and low-income people without direct county taxpayer subsidies.
But those resources are becoming more scarce as coronavirus fears and social distancing measures have closed food banks in some places and dried up donations from restaurants. Lines are also getting longer as unemployment skyrockets throughout Oregon.
Multnomah County will give $260,000 a month to Catholic Charities [of Oregon] to provide at least 10,000 meals a week.
[Reprinted with permission of OregonLive.com.]
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