About 130 people line up each month at the Oregon Department of Human Services office on S.W. Cascade Avenue to take home free produce, pantry staples, and donated household goods.
Next Monday that monthly Free Food Market will double as a four-year anniversary celebration, with live music, a balloon artist, free diapers, and a llama named Caesar.
The event runs from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at 10777 S.W. Cascade Ave. No eligibility screening is required to shop.
Dawn Dzubay, a self-sufficiency programs analyst in the ODHS Tigard office and one of the market's organizers, said the gathering has grown into something beyond a food distribution.
"We've built a real sense of community around the market," Dzubay told Your Oregon News. "People recognize each other, and they recognize the volunteers. Many regular shoppers pitch in — helping set up, passing out snacks or offering chairs to those who need one."
ODHS estimates the food reaches about 400 people monthly, counting the households of the 130 visitors who attend.
What's at the anniversary event
Portland musician John Nunn will perform original songs and light rock. PDX Diaper Bank will hand out free diapers. Volunteers will offer snacks and cold water.
ODHS staff member Danielle Santilli plans to bring her Labrador retriever, Duke, and Caesar the No Drama Llama is also scheduled to appear, according to ODHS.
The Tigard Public Library and Washington County Cooperative Library Services will give away free books and sign children up for the Summer Reading Program, which offers incentives including restaurant coupons and free Oregon Zoo passes.
A Washington County first
Tigard's market carries a particular legacy. It hosted ODHS's first Free Food Market in Washington County, operating from 2019 to 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted public gatherings, according to the ODHS press release. The market restarted and has run continuously since, supported by the Oregon Food Bank, which provides food, guidance, and organizational support.
Longtime partners present since day one include 211info, Oregon State University Extension, and the Washington County Early Learning Hub. Other frequent collaborators include Centro Cultural, the Tigard Tualatin School District Family Resource Center, and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.
Summer EBT and Double Up Food Bucks
ODHS staff at the Monday, July 27 event will help families determine whether they qualify for Summer EBT, a grocery benefits program that launched in June 2026.
Qualifying families receive $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries while school is out, according to the Oregon ODHS website. Benefits expire about four months after they are loaded onto an EBT card.
Those dollars can stretch further through Double Up Food Bucks, which matches every $1 spent on fresh fruits and vegetables, up to $20 per day, at more than 85 farmers market locations, 35 grocery stores, and over 40 CSA farms across Oregon.
For a Tigard family with two eligible children, that's $240 in grocery benefits, plus up to $20 a day in matching produce dollars at participating retailers.
What's next
The market's schedule will change in September 2026, according to ODHS. The agency has not announced new dates or times. Residents can check the ODHS food assistance page at oregon.gov/odhs/food for updates.
The market follows a fourth-Monday schedule; if that holds, the next regular date after the anniversary would be Monday, Aug. 25.
