Box of food in hand, Hector Nuñez arrives at apartment doorsteps during his council’s monthly food delivery not knowing where the person answering the door is emotionally or what trials they might be going through. What is clear, however, is the encounter is always a moment of grace and mercy.
“You can see it on their faces,” said Nuñez, grand knight of St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Council 15295 in Portland, Oregon. “Either you can tell their need or sense of relief just by their expression.”
Since 2020, Council 15295 and St. Mary’s Cathedral have partnered with Lift UP, a local community organization, to provide food to 15 households living at the Katherine Gray Apartments, a housing unit in downtown Portland for people with low income.
Oregon, like other states around the country, has seen a spike in food insecurity since 2020, with more than 220,000 households — nearly 13% — affected, according to a 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. The Oregon Food Bank Network reported receiving 2.5 million visits to its food assistance sites in 2024 — a 31% increase from 2023. And Portland’s downtown and Pearl District, where the cathedral is located, are considered hotspots for homeless encampments and food insecurity.
“The cost of living, the cost for basic things has skyrocketed,” said Nuñez, a deputy with a local county sheriff’s office. “Some can’t find jobs, while others work two or three jobs just to put a roof over their head, and they can’t supply the other stuff they need. It’s overwhelming.”
The cathedral has been a sponsor of the program since 2018, donating $10,000 annually through Lift UP’s Adopt a Building program, and when a cathedral group that helped deliver the food disbanded in 2020, members of Council 15295 stepped up to fill the need.
Several Knights assist with the monthly deliveries, collecting boxes and bags filled with food — pre-packaged with meat, eggs, organic fruits and vegetables and more — that they deliver to the apartment complex. Each of the 15 clients receives about 60 pounds of food, and a few additional boxes are brought to the building’s food pantry.
“Making these deliveries really opens your eyes to how some people have to live,” said Tim Ferkel, a member of Council 15295 who regularly helps with the deliveries. “They really count on these food boxes.”
Nuñez agreed, recalling one of the most impactful encounters he’s had through the program. “Once, a lady began to bawl when she opened the door and saw us standing there,” Nuñez said. “She told us that she was literally on her way out to go ask for money in the street because she had nothing to eat. It was like a miracle, and we were so grateful to be there when she needed help the most.”
The encounters are more than simply dropping off food, Nuñez continued. Approximately 43% of Oregon residents are religiously unaffiliated — about the same percentage who identify as Christian. In the Portland metro area, an estimated 64% (nearly 2 in 3) are unchurched. Despite this, the Knights always ask clients if they have prayer intentions or could use prayer at the moment, without being pushy. “They respond yes or no, and we keep them in our prayers either way,” Nuñez said. “We want them to know the Church is here for them.”
Ferkel said he’s seen growth in the charitable hearts of the participating Knights, who were already disposed toward serving others.
“In addition to the Knights’ delivery, I help with three more Lift UP deliveries each month,” Ferkel said. “Now, after working with the Katherine Gray Apartments, at least five other Knights have joined me in helping each month with multiple food deliveries. It gives us a lot of satisfaction to help people.”
That spirit of service is necessary for members of a council based in a location like theirs. But Council 15295 makes it a point to meet the challenge beyond the monthly food deliveries. The council’s annual Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution and 40 Cans for Lent drive, not to mention the Knights’ constant and visible presence at the cathedral, go a long way toward serving the needs of the surrounding community.
“Charity is at the heart of our work and our faith — it always has been,” added Nuñez. “Christ commanded us to follow his footsteps and help our brothers and sisters in need.”