Portland, OR. Music lovers at the Waterfront Blues Festival have donated more than 10 million dollars over the past 30 years. Since 1987, Oregon Food Bank has brought in headliners like Chris Isaak to raise funds and awareness to fight hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. This year the Waterfront Blues Festival runs for five days, on four stages, and features more than 150 eclectic performances.
This is the Oregon Food Bank’s largest annual fundraising event, it is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi, and the second-largest blues festival in the nation.
Susannah Morgan, Oregon Food Bank CEO, thanks the crowd for feeding the human spirit for 30 years.
Fantastic Negrito
Ty Curtis
LoveBomb Go-Go
Elvin Bishop
Festival Director Clay Fuller and Artistic Director Peter Dammann have been feeding the Human Spirit for 30 years.
Headliners include: Big Head Todd Blues Club, Chris Isaak, Joss Stone, Galactic, Elvin Bishop, Fantastic Negrito, Canned Heat, JD McPherson, Bokante, Pine Leaf Boys, MarchFourth, Pimps of Joytime, Booker T Stax Revue, Cedric Burnside Project, and Sonny Landreth
Additional acts include: Chubby Carrier, Southern Avenue, Greyhounds, The Revelers, Blynd, Jontavious Willis, Brother Yusef, Dirty Bourbon River Show, Donna Angelle, Dustbowl Revival, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Eric Gales, The Suffers, Chris Cain, Monkey Junk, Sons of the Soul Revivers
Our mission: To eliminate hunger and its root causes … because no one should be hungry. Since 1982, Oregon Food Bank has been leading the fight against hunger in Oregon and southwest Washington by collecting and distributing food through a network of four OFB branches and 16 independent regional food banks. The OFB Network helps nearly one in five households fend off hunger. OFB also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, garden education and helping communities strengthen local food systems.
Did you know …
For the first time ever, the Oregon Food Bank Network distributed more than 1 million food boxes to families in need – a 12% increase over last year.
Growing levels of long-term unemployment are forcing more and more people to fall into poverty and to seek emergency food.
33% of those receiving emergency food are children.
Children who are hungry get sick more often and have more trouble learning in school.
Portland, OR. The 29th annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival has taken over Tom McCall Waterfront Park and will feature over 100 performances over four days. Sunday night will be dedicated to departed music icon, Prince. Frequent Portland performer, Liv Warfield, will take to the stage with members of Prince’s band, The New Power Generation. Warfield will pay homage to one of her mentors. This year, for the first time, organizers are charging for the concert series. In the past, a $10 donation was suggested, now blues fans need to buy a $10 ticket each day. The Blues Festival is the Oregon Food Bank’s largest annual fundraising event. Since its inception in 1988, it has raised $10 million and 815 tons of food to fight hunger in the region. The festival runs from Friday, July 1st, through Monday, July 4th and will culminate in the largest fireworks display in Oregon.
Twice, the festival has raised as much as $1 million over the holiday weekend. Bigger the crowds necessitate spending more money on security.
Norman Sylvester is a Portland based blues guitarist and R&B recording artist. Norman has been on the Portland scene for 35 years. He was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2011, received a Lifetime Achievement from the Cascade Blues Association in 2013 and the CBA best R&B Band award in 2015.
Leo “Bud” Welch is recognized as one of the last remaining Mississippi Delta bluesmen.
Other Acts this year include:
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
DR. JOHN & THE NITE TRIPPERS
JJ GREY & MOFRO
JIMMIE VAUGHAN & THE TILT-A-WHIRL BAND FEATURING LOU ANN BARTON
LIV WARFIELD & THE SPECIAL HORNZ
MACEO PARKER
ZZ WARD
FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE
CURTIS SALGADO BAND
THE SOUL REBELS
SAMANTHA FISH
CHUBBY CARRIER & THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND and many more.
Past performers have included a plethora of high energy musicians.
Con Brio at the Waterfront Blues Festival.
Reggie Houston at the Waterfront Blues Festival.
Charmaine Neville at the Waterfront Blues Festival
Macy Gray.
Ty Curtis.
Blues fans packed the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. Photo by Daniyl Hicks.
About Waterfront Blues Festival
Since 1988, Oregon Food Bank has produced the Waterfront Blues Festival to raise funds and awareness to fight hunger in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. As Oregon Food Bank’s largest annual fundraising event, this Portland flagship festival has become a tradition for locals and visitors alike; it is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi and the second-largest blues festival in the nation.
Portland, July 8th. Waterfront Blues Festival organizers are celebrating 25 years of musical fundraising to the tune of more than 7 million dollars since 1987. Supporters from Safewayincluded Mona Person, Ron Person, Syd Hanigan, a board member, and Cheryl and Bob Helleman. According to Oregon Food Bank officials, this year alone, supporters donated over $902,000 to feed hungry people in our area. “We set a gigantic goal this year and came within inches of meeting it,” said Laura Golino de Lovato, OFB’s director of development. “We’re pleased with the results and thank the entire community for generously supporting the work of Oregon Food Bank.”
Syd Hanigan enjoys the sponsor’s tent with the main organizer of the event, Laura Golino de Lovato. Laura is the Director of Development for the Oregon Food Bank.
Annie Herbet, Director of Communications, and Jean Kempe-Ware, Public Relations Manager, smile together near the entrance of the event where 116,584 pounds of food was collected.
Lucinda Tate, who is on the Oregon Food Bank Board of Directors, Jim Wadsworth, and Janeen Wadsworth, the CEO/Chief Operating Officer smile and enjoy the omelets in the Sponsor’s Tent.
2,300 enthusiastic volunteers and generous blues fans helped make the 2012 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, a rousing success. Festival attendees contributed $902,000 through donations at the gate as well as advance purchases of special passes and DME blues cruise tickets, just shy of the festival’s goal of $945,000. In addition, the festival raised an estimated 116,504 pounds of food, exceeding its goal of 100,000 pounds.
This view from inside the sponsor’s tent shows many of the generous donors who help make this event successful. These special guest also enjoyed a deluxe omelet bar for brunch!
Charles and Caryl Fuchs, smile with Kyle and Charlie Fuchs in the sponsor’s tent. Big time donors Charlie and Kyle brought Charlie’s parents to enjoy the event.
Gary Houston gets together with Jean Kempe-Ware for a picture. Gary has been designing the art work for the event since 2001.
Andy Andrews and Mike Specht from Columbia Distributing
Guests enjoyed four different stages. The Steve Miller Band was one of the headliners.
Jersey Soul featuring Judy Tint and Kenny Lavitz took the Miller Stage on Sunday Afternoon.
Our mission: To eliminate hunger and its root causes … because no one should be hungry. Since 1982, Oregon Food Bank has been leading the fight against hunger in Oregon and southwest Washington by collecting and distributing food through a network of four OFB branches and 16 independent regional food banks. The OFB Network helps nearly one in five households fend off hunger. OFB also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, garden education and helping communities strengthen local food systems.
Did you know …
For the first time ever, the Oregon Food Bank Network distributed more than 1 million food boxes to families in need – a 12% increase over last year.
Growing levels of long-term unemployment are forcing more and more people to fall into poverty and to seek emergency food.
33% of those receiving emergency food are children.
Children who are hungry get sick more often and have more trouble learning in school.
NONPROFIT BENEFIT TICKET GIVEAWAYS!
Sign up for our free weekly highlights for the chance to win two tickets terrific nonprofit events! If you "like" us on facebook, or sign up for our weekly news highlights, you'll be entered to win! Sign up today!
Look for another ticket giveaway soon! Are you a nonprofit looking to bolster your publicity with facebook and tweets? Email us and we'll run a contest with tickets to your event! [email protected]
