We, the community, people that live and work in Portland, want the Portland Children's Levy (PCL) to fund the Equitable Giving Circle (EGC). Due to the fact that food is not a human right, there are limited ways that our government invests in food access work and this fund is here not only to invest in food access work but specifically for marginalized communities. Culturally specific services are best rendered by and from culturally specific organizations and leaders.

EGC is an excellent fit, and not funding their consistent, full-circle food program is a travesty not only for our most vulnerable community members but also in alignment with our city's claimed values. 

When the world shut down, EGC started to build and has not stopped since. EGC feeds families across the city in ways that many of our established organizations could never. The ongoing work that is done at EGC, a culturally specific organization supporting Black + Brown children and families year-round with robust nutrient-dense food subsidies directly delivered to homes and a weekly BIPOC market, should be the type of programming that is uplifted and invested into by the PCL. 

The PCL was created to support children in and outside of the classroom in hopes of eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in children's outcomes. PCL should be explicitly funding culturally specific orgs, particularly EGC, which has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the food access and food systems space. 

The only way to really lean into culturally specific work is to uplift the work from culturally specific organizations doing the work. EGC feeds over 400 families a week, or roughly 2000 people; about 800 of these people being served are children, Black and Brown children. Their CSA delivery service and BIPOC Thursday Market serve Black and Brown families and community members from multiple intersecting identities: racial, ethnic, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation, by creating inclusive and accessible environments developed from and enhanced by community voice. They enhance this work by having a staff where 50% of them speak two or more languages and consistently provide bilingual resources and support. 

Please sign this letter if you are in support of PCL funding the incredible work that EGC does for our community. Your name will be shared in communication about this request publiclly. 

This is an example of the quality of food EGC serves weekly to the Black + Brown comunity of Portland.

I am signing this letter in suport of Equitable Giving Circle recieveing funding from Portland Children's Levy, a fund to support marginalized children funded by Portland tax payers,. 

Reminders: By submitting this form, you agree that the information provided is accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge. Please provide relevant and accurate information to support the cause.