South County
Community Food Bank

history

Our Story - How It All Began

The South County Community Food Bank was started in 1981 by a local Seaside grocery store owner, Eugene Lowe, who began giving hungry people food out of the back of his store From one man’s vision of serving the hungry, the South County Community Food Bank (SCCFB) has grown into a well-established social service provider for local low-income residents.

Eugene Lowe

New South County Food Bank Building Seaside Oregon

The SCCFB became incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1986 and moved into a small 750 square foot building on Roosevelt Drive where we distributed food for the next 28 years. As early as 1990, there were discussions about moving the food bank to larger better quarters. Then in 2013, the building came new ownership and we lost our lease. The Seaside School District offered us two modular classrooms and the Bank of the Pacific agreed to sell us a parcel of land across from Seaside High School. Through support and help of many community members and businesses, we were able to raise funds necessary to purchase the property, move the modular classrooms and re-fit them for our use. .

From it humble, informal beginnings, the SCCFB has grown into one of the largest food distributors in the regional Food Bank network, with 70 volunteers per month, serving 250,000 pounds of food to over 12,000 individuals and families annually. .