Food Can Tsunami 5: Thank You, Nehalem Bay!

Every year, this community shows up. Food Can Tsunami 5 is proof.

Thanks to 91 participants and 29 dedicated volunteers, this year's event collected 1,199 pounds of food and nearly $8,000 in donations split between the North County Food Bank and Nehalem Bay Community Services Food Pantry. Those numbers bring our five-year totals to an extraordinary 9,498 pounds of food and over $39,000 raised for neighbors in need.

This year's results were down somewhat from 2025. Fewer Prepare Your Neighborhood groups participated, fewer Neighborhood Gathering Sites were staffed, and the beautiful weather may have kept shoppers away from the market drop-off sites and into the sunshine. The volunteer count was also leaner by design: a streamlined radio protocol using only Channel 119 meant fewer radio volunteers were needed. Additionally, some of the usual volunteer suspects were scattered to the winds with travel or unavailability.

But here's what the numbers don't capture: the feedback from this year's event has been overwhelmingly positive. People felt the community. They felt the care. That's what Food Can Tsunami is really about.

We are still waiting on a final tally of online donations, which may close the gap with last year's totals. Stay tuned.

A enormous thank you goes to everyone who showed up, donated, staffed a site, worked a radio, or simply dropped a can in a bin. You made it happen.

And a very special thank you to John Beaston, who organized the entire event from start to finish. Food Can Tsunami does not exist without John's dedication, coordination, and heart. We are so grateful.

To make a donation to the North County Food Bank or the Nehalem Bay Community Services Food Pantry, click the links in blue.