News & Events

JSIR Receives $25,000 Buck Seventeen Grant to Support Food Security for Displaced Families

JSIR is honored to announce that we have received a $25,000 grant from Heretic Coffee’s Buck Seventeen Grant, dedicated to strengthening food security for the families we serve.

The Buck Seventeen Grant exists “to keep Portland fed—supporting meal distribution, food service, and associated food-security operations in Portland, Oregon”

In alignment with this mission, JSIR will use every dollar of this grant exclusively for direct food-related support, including partnering with local markets to provide fresh produce, grains, halal proteins, and essential pantry staples. We will also continue working with partner organizations to deliver food boxes to families who rely on this support. In addition, the grant will help launch monthly community meals, prepared by Palestinian chefs and volunteers, designed to foster connection and belonging, celebrate culture, and create meaningful opportunities to share experiences as we build a thriving community together.

This commitment reflects the original promise Heretic Coffee made at the start of its donation campaign—that every dollar raised would help feed Portland. More than 12,000 individuals contributed to that effort. Heretic Coffee Co. is now entrusting JSIR to carry that promise forward, and we are deeply grateful for their confidence in our work.

Melissa Saul, Board President of JSIR, said: "We are deeply grateful for this generous support for displaced Palestinian families. We hope this grant will serve as seed funding that inspires continued community investment in families fleeing extreme hardship and seeking safety in Portland."

With this grant, JSIR will be able to ensure six months of stable food assistance, providing approximately 7,500 meals to the families we support.