Cars. Clothing. Toys. And food. Recalls now affect virtually every industry, including the Oregon Food Bank Network.

Stew and chili usually top the list of OFB's most-wanted foods because they are high protein, shelf-stable foods. But last month, due to a nationwide recall of products from a food processing-plant in Georgia, OFB asked agencies and their clients to return the recalled food.

OFB staff and volunteer groups, including Lewis and Clark Law School; Nike; Westminster School; Garvey, Schubert and Barer, attorneys; Consumer Cellular; and UPS sorted through every item collected through food drives to help ensure food safety for people who are hungry.

OFB collected 105,000 pounds of recalled chili and has already returned two-and-a-half truckloads of product to the manufacturer. In addition, OFB has on hold another two-and-a-half truckloads, about 100,000 pounds, of food that OFB can't distribute.

But the food recall was just one piece of bad news. Food that OFB receives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture dropped 300,000 pounds in the past two months. And food industry donations are down 1.1- million pounds in comparison to the same period last year due to a strong agriculture market.

"Our warehouse shelves are as empty as I've ever seen them," says Rachel Bristol, OFB's CEO. "We have a big gap to fill and need your support more than ever to help people in need."

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"Dear Oregon Food Bank,
Thank you for having us for hunger camp. My favorite part was the hunger simulation activities because the activities made it seem like we were grown-ups in real life. It was fun cooking for everyone and eating after that." -- Dorcas, Woodlawn Elementary's I Have a Dream program

That was just one of the enthusiastic responses OFB received from students who attended OFB's three-day hunger camp. OFB's volunteer program hosted the camp for seventh graders in Woodlawn Elementary School's I Have a Dream program, a mentorship program for low-income children.

Students repacked food in OFB's Volunteer Action Center, worked in the Learning Garden, took hands- on cooking and nutrition classes, learned about who is hungry and why, and participated in other activities.

OFB currently needs volunteers for the following opportunities.

Help repack food in Hillsboro.
Repack bulk donations such as rice, pasta, beans and oats into family-sized portions, Tuesdays, 1:30 to 4 p.m., at OFB's Hillsboro location. Volunteers must sign up in advance. This opportunity is for ages 11 and up and works well for individual volunteers or small groups of 20 or fewer. Adults must accompany volunteers under 16 years old.

Help repack food in Portland.
Repack bulk food donations into family-sized portions at OFB's Maybelle Clark Macdonald Volunteer Action Center in northeast Portland, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers must sign up in advance. This opportunity is for ages 6 and up and works well for individuals or large groups of 10 or more. Adults must accompany volunteers under 16 years old.

Join the Speakers' Bureau.
Enjoy public speaking? Help OFB inform the public about hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Wash. Speakers' Bureau volunteers give presentations to businesses, churches, schools and community organizations. They inspire the public to get involved in the fight against hunger. Speakers' Bureau volunteers must be ages 16 and up and must attend a three-evening training session.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, e-mail abinggeli@oregonfoodbank.org.

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