A huge thanks to everyone who donated to the annual Peanut Butter Drive. Our local food pantry, Snow Cap Community Charities, is so pleased with the donation we have been able to provide. As we have shared before many of the children who depend on their school for food suffer during breaks and vacations. In fact the Gresham-Barlow School District ranges between 36-89% eligibility for the Child and Adult Care Food Program in the 2020-2021 year. Food insecurity is common place in the Gresham area and Snow Cap Community Charities battles it daily. This status of Gresham area children is potentially devastating. FeedingAmerica.org ranks Oregon as 16th in terms of the most Food Insecure Children with 173,780 estimated children.
Impact of Food Insecurity in the Gresham Area
Those who face food insecurity often struggle with social and behavioral problems. Without proper nutrition, children lack energy and often miss developmental milestones. The need to reliably offer balanced and filling meals and snacks is integral to the success of our children within the Gresham community.
Peanut Butter Drive
Annual Gresham Ford and the Northwest Ford Dealers Association, hold a Peanut Butter Drive to help replenish the food stores at local Food Banks like Snow Cap Community Charities. Gresham Ford has been spearheading the holiday food drive, Fill-A-Bag for almost a decade.
“Anyone who spends time at Gresham Ford knows that we are all about food. When we celebrate successes, awards, and life events, we celebrate with food. We have never catered our staff Christmas Party because everyone wants to show off their favorite dishes. Many of our Technicians are more than masters of the automobile, some are even bakers. And I mean GOOD bakers. We took an informal survey and the team really wanted to do something that addressed food insecurity in our community. That is the cause that we could all agree on, ” explained Preston Wills, General Sales Manager at Gresham Ford.
Dealer with a Heart
The Dealer with a heart, didn’t just stumble into that motto. It began all the way back with McRobert Motor Company with Gussie McRobert. Her husband Chet McRobert owned and literally build the dealership. Gussie used the dealership as a vehicle to volunteer and make the community a better place.
Chet went a step further than just supporting his wife, he became the Dealer with a Heart. Through sponsorships, fundraisers, and donated marketing Gresham Ford became an even stronger pillar of the Gresham community.
When Bess Wills, General Manager, took over Gresham Ford in 2004 she learned about the history of the dealership from the longest term employee. Parts Manager, Mike Amato, is celebrating his 38th year at Gresham Ford currently. Mike told Bess about the history of the dealership and even presented her with a white ceramic mug shaped in a heart shape with the locally iconic logo of Gresham Ford, the Dealer with a Heart. Needless to say Bess never looked back or even considered any other tag line or culture for her dealership. In true Bess style she jumped in with both feet and began her adventure in Oregon with the goal of making the Gresham community better and stronger.
Together is better
Today many recognize Bess by name and sight and appreciate her numerous donations, sponsorships, donated marketing for non-profits and overwhelming positive attitude. The Peanut Butter Drive falls right in line with the overarching drive of both Bess and her staff at Gresham Ford. Gathering donations with the help of Gresham Grocery Outlet to help ensure that children have healthy nutritious snacks during the upcoming summer break is a good thing for Gresham. If you would like to donate your own peanut butter or food to Snow Cap Community Charities, we are happy to deliver it on your behalf.
Snow Cap Community Charities
The pandemic has been difficult on everyone. SnowCap is open and ready to serve the Gresham area. They estimate that one in five Oregonians struggle with hunger. We encourage you to consider making a financial gift to Snow Cap Community Charities. Together, we will make sure that no family goes to bed hungry. Every person matters and every dollar counts. Snow Cap has been blessed to be included in funding plans of other area businesses, churches, and service clubs. Together we can make Gresham a better stronger community where no one goes to bed hungry.
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