It was 1922, the economy had taken a dip, and the City of Portland had to lay off more than 40 police officers. To compensate for this loss, then-mayor, George Baker, gathered volunteer civilians to serve in emergency situations; a group eventually called the Portland Police Reserve.The Reserve found themselves responding to widespread poverty in Portland by collecting food to fill Christmas baskets that were delivered to Portlanders in need.
In this, Sunshine Division's 100th year, the fundamental mission continues: to provide emergency food and clothing relief year-round to Portland families and individuals in need. During the life of Sunshine Division, we’ve grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that relies solely on donations to fund the collection and distribution of food and clothes.
Through our front doors, we serve 15,600+ households a year with “shopping” experiences in our clothing store as well as with food (including nonperishable, frozen, fresh produce, and dairy products). We also make bulk donations of food to 15+ other food-relief agencies in five counties, thus extending our reach beyond the City of Portland.
Sunshine Division also owns and operates Sunshine Division Winter Wonderland, which operates at Portland International Raceway and is an eye popping holiday light display for your entire family. Meanwhile, each ticket sold goes right to their food pantry buying power as another source of support for Sunshine Division programs.
You can learn more about Sunshine Division and what they do with this quick video and If you want to volunteer or offer crucial financial support , you will become a huge part of what Sunshine Division's NEXT 100 years might look like!