Sandy Community Action Center Celebrates 65 Years of Service
By Midge Hulihan Meade for the SCAC, For The Sandy Standard
The Sandy Community Action Center (SCAC) has been serving the community of Sandy and its outlying areas since 1961 and is excited to be celebrating its 65th year. The Action Center was first started in 1961 by three teachers who saw a need in the migrant population that came through the area doing seasonal farm work. Those three teachers began by providing needed items out of the trunk of their car. SCAC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit relying on donations, grants, partnerships, and thrift store sales. We invite you to stop by the Center to shop at the thrift store, donate quality used items for resale, become a financial supporter, volunteer, or participate in one of our fundraisers.
The Sandy Community Action Center in 2025 served 13,478 people, which includes 600 new households. The senior box program provided 395 boxes, while 651 people were served by the Center's Thanksgiving box program. Located at 38982 Pioneer Blvd., the Center is one of only three food pantries in an area that serves roughly 45,000 people. Volunteers and a small paid staff are the backbone of the Center. Volunteers and staff ensure pickup and delivery of local shared food programs such as Fresh Alliance which partners with local grocery stores. They also unload and stock weekly food deliveries from Oregon Food Bank. Staff and volunteers work diligently to process donations: sorting, inspecting, and pricing items before bringing them into the thrift store. If you have an interest in volunteering, the SCAC is in need of skilled volunteers who are capable of lifting 60 pounds. You will find a volunteer application at sandyactioncenter.org
The SCAC thrift store offers quality resale items ranging from clothes, shoes, and bedding to books, jewelry, and a specialty room that has much-anticipated seasonal makeovers. The thrift store is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by and see our selections. The food pantry is open Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations of your items such as quality household goods, clothing, shoes, boots, and coats are dropped at the receiving dock behind the Center building. The donation dock is open Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment. The Center does not take large furniture at this time. Please be sure your items are in good to excellent condition. If you would like to become a financial supporter of the Sandy Action Center, donations are accepted during open hours, and the website has a donation button: sandyactioncenter.org. Consider making us a part of your regular giving plan by becoming a monthly donor.
We invite you to participate in one of the SCAC fundraisers. Our biggest fundraiser each year is the Tickle Trot which is held at the Abundant Life Church parking lot at 16633 Champion Way, on Thanksgiving morning. The Tickle Trot is a family-friendly 5K that winds through the Tickle Creek Trail off 362nd in Sandy. The 5k is a donation-based event: give what you can. Sandy businesses and organizations who sponsor, and people who donate, are the life blood of this event. The money raised by the Tickle Trot 5K helps provide meals all year long and is what makes our Thanksgiving box program possible. Two hundred meal boxes were distributed last year for Thanksgiving.
Sandy Community Action Center works alongside our community partners. There are 20 plus businesses and organizations that collaborate in specific ways to ensure food is available to those experiencing hunger. The SCAC could not do what it is doing without our community partners. If you are in need of food assistance or interested in partnering with the Sandy Community Action Center, please see our website or call the Center directly at (503) 668-4746.