Our Streets

Our mission at Our Streets is to serve the underserved, encouraging growth and unity within our community through resource provision, gatherings, and education.

Our Streets was founded in the summer of 2020 in Portland, Oregon, at the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a grassroots mutual aid effort - cleaning neighborhoods and serving hot dogs and sandwiches from a cofounder’s kitchen - quickly grew into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a dedicated volunteer staff and weekly events serving hundreds of unhoused residents. By the end of our first year, we had provided over 10,000 meals and mobilized hundreds of community members to support Portland’s most vulnerable.

Fueled by donations and an unwavering commitment to equity and care, we pressed forward despite early challenges in securing sustainable funding. In 2021, Our Streets secured its first service contract, providing daily meals to local shelters. This launched our evolution into one of Portland’s most trusted large-scale meal providers, now having delivered over one million nourishing meals to unhoused and low-income residents through more than a dozen shelters and community partners.

Our work goes beyond food, it’s about solidarity. Our Feed the Streets program brings together volunteers, donors, and local businesses in a network of compassion that transcends socioeconomic boundaries. Together, we’re building a more connected, cared-for Portland where no one is left behind.