Feed the Mass, a Portland-based nonprofit founded by chef Jacobsen Valentine, announced on Apr. 14 its investment in Old Town through the establishment of the Nourish Building. The organization is focusing on food access, education, and community engagement in one of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods.
The move aims to address food insecurity while fostering workforce development and supporting local entrepreneurs connected to the food ecosystem. Feed the Mass chose Old Town not just for space or affordability but out of a desire to make a meaningful impact where it is most needed.
“We weren’t looking for the easiest place to grow,” Valentine said. “We were looking for a place where our presence could actually mean something.”
Located in the historic Blagen Block building, the Nourish Building will serve as more than just a kitchen or office. It will function as a community hub that supports daily meal service, culinary education, and workforce training programs. Valentine said that having families, students, and neighbors regularly visit changes perceptions about Old Town: “That visibility changes perception. It shows that Old Town is alive and worth investing in.”
A key feature of this initiative is an affordable neighborhood grocery store planned for later this year on the first floor of the building. The store will be accessible by public transit and designed for regular use by residents from Old Town and surrounding downtown neighborhoods.
Feed the Mass has invested over $300,000 toward purchasing their new facility as part of their long-term commitment to revitalizing Old Town. To support this effort financially, Oregon Pacific Bank provided funding after other lenders declined due to perceived risks associated with location and nonprofit status.
“Providing funding to Feed the Mass for the purchase of their Nourish Building was an opportunity to work alongside an incredibly impactful nonprofit,” Eric Deisler, Commercial Relationship Team Leader at Oregon Pacific Bank’s Portland branch said. “Our Portland banking team is proud to collaborate with Jacobsen and his team and to give back in a meaningful way through our Community Business Banking model.”
Business Oregon also supported Feed the Mass through its Credit Enhancement Fund program by helping mitigate financial risk so that Oregon Pacific Bank could finance most of the project.
Valentine described working with Oregon Pacific Bank as different from previous experiences: “Eric didn’t treat this like a problem to avoid. He treated it like an idea worth understanding.”
Looking ahead, Feed the Mass plans further collaboration within downtown Portland’s growing ecosystem—inviting partners interested in shared programming or leadership roles—and aims to expand its Board of Directors from four members up to eleven.
“This is about creating access,” Valentine said. “Access to food, access to education, access to opportunity. And access to a neighborhood that deserves investment, not abandonment.”
