Collection barrels are going out across Tualatin as the Tualatin Kiwanis Club launches its annual Holiday Food Drive.
The club has placed barrels inside retail stores and businesses to gather non-perishable food for the Tualatin Food Pantry, according to Tualatin Life.
Kiwanis volunteers pick up donated items and deliver them to the pantry, which the club's announcement says serves more than 850 families each month. The drive has run every year since the 1980s.
It adds up. The drive has generally averaged more than 2,000 pounds of food per year, according to the Kiwanis Club.
The pantry lists cereal, peanut butter, broth, hearty soups, canned fruit and Mac & Cheese among its most needed items, according to the Tualatin Food Pantry website.
Financial donations are also accepted and help the pantry purchase items it cannot source through the Oregon Food Bank or through food drives.
Nomuna Batbayar of Nortek Air Solutions filled a collection bin at her Tualatin workplace during the 2025 drive. The club is looking for more businesses willing to host a barrel for the 2026 campaign.
Wallie Downs, a Tualatin Kiwanis Club contact, is coordinating barrel placements. Businesses interested in hosting a collection barrel can reach Downs by email.
The pantry, led by Interim Executive Director Carol Hickman, won the 2024 Tualatin Chamber Excellence in Business Award in the Spirit of Tualatin Organization category. The award recognizes groups whose leadership and contributions have strengthened the community.
Residents who spot a food barrel at a participating Tualatin business can drop off non-perishable items during regular store hours. No end date for the 2026 drive has been announced.
