The Real Story – A Column-
NORTH PLAINS, OR — The North Plains Food Bank is in a “pickle,” but it’s not the kind they can put on their shelves. This powerhouse non-profit feeds hundreds of people every week, including delivering food to dozens of shut-ins and at-risk families. No one has given more of themselves to our communities in recent years than Lora Dexheimer, the food bank’s Executive Director. The organization has just moved into its new home in Downtown North Plains after being evicted without cause from the building to the West, and has established a wonderful new space with a grocery store feel where those in need can browse shelves and clean fridges for what they need.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE VISUALLY
But now, at the hands of controversial City Manager Bill Reid, the Food Bank is being forced into a corner that may result in the closure of this desperately needed community asset. Reid, who has been embroiled in ethics charges and financial audit issues, is behind an action to force the Food Bank to move its loading zone into the truck route along the frontage road. This goes against the permit and the written plan approved as part of the move-in process.
Despite feeding 550 people (191 families) in a single week and moving 30,000 lbs of food, this community lifeline is being forced to spend its precious resources on an attorney instead of groceries. This action by Reid may force the closure of the North Plains Food Bank.
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Let me say that this action by Reid looks personal- it looks targeted. And given the previous actions of a handful of “powerful” insiders in North Plains on other issues, it is very easy to draw that line. This looks like someone in North Plains wants Dexheimer gone from this town. An organization that feeds people in these desperate times and runs a clean operation with a proven track record is being picked on. With no grocery store in North Plains, some residents would not have food were it not for this outpost. From a real estate and planning standpoint, this move looks like it is going to most definitely put lives at risk, including children and those with mobility issues, who will not have safe access to the building. In addition, the drop from the public street to the building and the slope from the main street down to the doorway both add up to ADA violations. Lora has been backed into a corner by Reid and the City Staff.
This is wrong, and even at a “doing the right thing” level, there has to be a solution here. Driving around town, we saw no consistent application as to where businesses were loading and unloading. So this looks capricious and purposeful. Not clear and objective. This is the sort of thing that land use lawyers love to dig into.
The “Bait and Switch”
In November 2025, the City’s Planning Department approved a design that included a safe loading zone on 314th Street—a one-way road perfect for refrigerated trucks and heavy trailers. The Sheriff’s Department even did a walk-through and signed off on it.
Then, in January, everything changed.
Without consulting the Food Bank, City Manager Bill Reid and city staff sent a letter proposing to move the loading zone to Commercial Street.
Why This Matters:
Safety Hazard: Commercial Street is a busy two-way thoroughfare with a 25-mph speed limit and heavy semi-truck traffic.
Physical Barriers: Volunteers would have to push heavy carts through oncoming traffic, down a hill, and over broken sidewalks before they can deliver food to the front door, and the storage building would now be a long path down the side street. Anyone trying to drop off and exit a car or truck would either be in the traffic lane or on top of a tall curb with a straight drop to the sidewalk, unmanageable for most.
Existential Threat: The Food Bank has been warned that this unsafe location could lead to their insurance being canceled, which would force them to close their doors forever.
“All of our money goes to purchase food… there is no way we could afford to do something like that.” — Lora Dexheimer, Director.
The Legal Fight
The Food Bank, with no options left, appealed the City’s decision, but the appeal was denied. Now, Emily Waldron, a food bank supporter, has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the legal fees required to fight for the original, safe plan. There are no other options. From my own personal experience in North Plains, I can state emphatically that this is the same thing I dealt with. We had an approved project and had spent significant money to obtain a permit, only to have the City Manager at the time deny us permission to proceed. This cost us thousands of dollars and to abandon a viable rental home and additional units.
How You Can Help
Look, folks– we can not allow a “loading zone” to be the reason our neighbors go hungry. We should never allow a City Manager and his staff to approve a user to occupy a building and load it with crucial supplies, only to arbitrarily revoke that approval.
Donate: Help cover the legal fees so the Food Bank can focus on food, not lawsuits.
Share: Get the word out to everyone that you can, share this story, and drop by to see Lora and her amazing team of volunteers.
Let’s keep the North Plains Food Bank safe, accessible, and open.
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