Hunger Fighters Oregon Bring Fight to Lake Oswego, Open Food Pantry at Lakeridge Junior High School

LAKE OSWEGO, OR – Hunger Fighters Oregon for the past three years has worked toward opening its own food pantry in Lake Oswego for residents struggling with food insecurity. This month that goal will be realized.

Officials recently announced the Hunger Fighters Oregon Food Pantry will open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday at Lakeridge Junior High School beginning in late May. Next week, however, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, the Hunger Fighters will host an open house to unveil the pantry at 4700 Jean Rd. in Lake Oswego.

Started as an after-school club by Lake Oswego Junior High student Michael Murray, the organization quickly caught the attention of many people in Lake Oswego who wanted to help however they could.

Joining the ranks early on were Lake Oswego School District officials, Rotarians, and local professionals. With their help Murray established the Fighters as an official nonprofit in 2016. Now together they expect to build on the more than 10,000 meals the organization has already provided to the Oregon Food Bank since 2014.

"It's a great example of a student who's really driven to help his community. We're very proud of him," Lake Oswego School District spokeswoman Nancy Duin told Patch Tuesday. "Anything we can do locally to help people in need is a great thing."

Also, Duin said, by offering a school district facility as the location for the pantry, the district gives back to the community by helping Murray give back to the community.

"It's a win-win all around," she said.

Reporter Jillian Daley in September 2016 wrote about Murray and the Hunger Fighters for the Lake Oswego Review newspaper:

The 2015-16 (Lake Oswego School District) enrollment was 7,065 students, and 695 of them –– or 9.8 percent –– were eligible for free or reduced lunch, a measurement of poverty, according to the most recent data available from the Oregon Department of Education.

To meet that local need for food, Murray says he's found an ally in the Lake Oswego Rotary Club. LOSD Superintendent Heather Beck, who is a Rotarian, and former Rotary Club presidents and current members Malcolm Mathes and Terri Childress assisted Murray in getting his nonprofit off of the ground. Beck and her staff, including Executive Director of Project Management Randy Miller, scouted out a location for the pantry at LJHS.

"Michael is an inspiration to all of us," Beck says. "He is driven and passionate about helping others, and it's an honor to be able to assist him in his mission."

Patch has reached out to Hunger Fighters Oregon. This post will be updated when more information becomes available.

This post has been updated to include comments from the Lake Oswego School District.

Photo Courtesy: Hunger Fighters Oregon