In Dec. 2008, two residents of Ashland, Oregon, John Javna and Paul Giancarlo, began working on a door-to-door food collection program to support their local food bank. They searched the internet for advice about how to organize the project, but found nothing…so they invented their own model and called it the Ashland Food Project (AFP). On June 13th, 2009, 26 volunteers—the first “Neighborhood Coordinators” —delivered the AFP’s first batch of food. In August, the AFP added their iconic Green Bag to the program . By the end of the year they’d collected 20 tons of food, and the Food Project was an established part of the community.
Word spread. With the AFP’s help, volunteers in nearby Oregon towns started Food Projects in their own communities. Then people began telling friends and family in other areas about the program and the network began to grow. A couple from Olympia, Washington started the first out-of-state Food Project in 2010. In 2011, a Californian learned about the AFP and started his own spinoff “green bag” program called A Simple Gesture. Calls came in from Florida, Arizona, Massachusetts and more. The AFP’s founders decided to create a nonprofit dedicated to supporting these new efforts…and the Neighborhood Food Project (NFP) was born.
People continued to discover the Food Project model on their own. NFP volunteers were always available to help them get started, But it wasn’t their priority. Rather than pushing rapid expansion, the NFP focused on creating a system that could actually be sustained—developing software, training materials and infrastructure to support existing Food Projects. It worked: By Dec. 2013, the 5 original Food Projects in Jackson County, Oregon, had collected a million pounds of food. By 2016, the NFP had become the largest all-volunteer organization in Oregon…and the NFP network, despite no formal outreach, had grown to 37 Food Projects in 9 states
The NFP’s 10th anniversary marked a turning point. With a proven model, a growing network of Food Projects across the country, and new tools in development, the organization began laying the groundwork for a more intentional national expansion. The goal: bring this system to as many communities as possible. The NFP created a “Beginner’s Handbook” and a “Starter Kit” for new Projects. They developed a program for high school students called the Student Hunger Strike Force and a sponsorship template to encourage businesses to support local Food Projects, and a mentorship program bringing experienced Food Project organizers to offer advice to newbies.
Then COVID-19 arrived. Almost overnight, the conditions that made the Food Project work — neighbors on doorsteps, volunteers sorting food side by side, community gatherings at Collection Day — became impossible to maintain safely. Projects across the network went dormant. Some never restarted. The momentum built over a decade stalled, and the NFP had to reckon with how to rebuild relationships with communities that had gone quiet. It was the hardest stretch in the organization’s history.
Rebuilding has been slow and intentional. The NFP has reconnected with active projects, developed new tools including a rebuilt Neighborhood Organizing System, and welcomed new communities into the network. Today there are active Food Projects across the country, each one locally run and deeply rooted in its neighborhood. The work continues.
The Neighborhood Food Project works because it’s built around the way people actually live. Nobody has to rearrange their life to participate. Food Donors shop the way they always have and simply pick up one or two extra items. Neighborhood Coordinators manage a route that fits in a Saturday morning. The system is designed for real people with real schedules, and that’s why they stick with it.
Most efforts to address hunger rely on occasional surges, such as a holiday drive or a one-time campaign. The Neighborhood Food Project relies on something quieter and more powerful: habit. When giving becomes routine, pantries can plan around it. When volunteering feels manageable, people keep showing up. Consistency is the thing that makes the difference, and consistency is what this model is built on.
The Food Project has never tried to replace the organizations already doing this work. Food banks, pantries, and social services are essential since they’re the last line of defense for families in crisis. The Food Project model creates a steady, reliable stream of food and a network of neighbors who are actively invested in each other’s wellbeing. It’s about supporting existing organizations, never replacing them.
