As part of Oregon Harvest Week, Governor Ted Kulongoski helped transport perishable food from a Fred Meyer store in Portland to Oregon Food Bank where he honored Fred Meyer Stores with the Mahonia Food Industry Award for Hunger Relief. The new award will be presented annually to recognize a member of Oregon?s food industry for its commitment and contributions to ending hunger in Oregon.

President Bush signed the Hurricane Katrina relief bill, temporarily changing tax law to encourage donations to nonprofits. The law is effective between Aug. 28 and Dec. 31, 2005.

Of interest to food donors is a provision to encourage charitable donations of food by extending the ?special rule deduction? to S-corporations, farmers, ranchers, small businesses, franchises and others through the end of the 2005 calendar year.

?I catch more fish than I can eat, so I end up giving a lot of fish to friends,? says Bud Hosner, commercial realtor and avid fisherman. ?I started to wonder why I was giving so much food to people who have more than enough to eat when there are hungry people in Oregon who could benefit from my catch.?

Hosner organized the I Fish for Food tournament so fishermen and women could spend the day doing what they love while helping to feed hungry people.

Weyerhaeuser provided cartons. National Frozen Foods provided carrots and other frozen vegetables. Cascade Specialties sent spices. And Pacific Foods put the whole package together, providing packaging materials, production, leadership and staff expertise. Together they created dozens of semi-loads of nutritious, shelf-stable vegetable soup which they donated to Oregon Food Bank.

?It was a creative and enthusiastic collaboration that generated high-quality food,? says Bob Morris, Oregon Food Bank?s food resource manager.

Pasapong, OFB's Fresh Alliance program coordinator, was born in Thailand and became a U.S. citizen in July of this year. When the tsunami hit Thailand last December, it affected people she knew. Frustrated that she couldn?t help in Thailand, Pasapong didn?t hesitate when asked if she would help hurricane relief in Louisiana.

OFB recently hired Mike Moran as its new food resource developer.

Moran graduated from the University of Notre Dame and has been a teacher and a social worker. He developed an interest in food banking after running a food pantry for families transitioning out of homelessness in San Francisco.

Oregon Food Bank welcomes donations of safe, edible food or food ingredients. Click here for a list of OFB's immediate food needs.

Oregon Food Bank needs boxes, bags, totes and repackaging equipment. Click here for a list of OFB's goods and services needs.

Oregon Food Bank is an affilate of America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network.