As you’ve heard in the news recently, our community is facing an immediate and devastating crisis. If Congress fails to reach a funding deal by the end of October 2025, SNAP benefits for more than 750,000 Oregonians will be suspended this Saturday.
Overnight, families and individuals already navigating record-high food prices will lose a critical lifeline. Our food banks, already stretched thin, will be pushed to the breaking point. This isn't a distant political headline; it's a five-alarm fire for our neighbors.
This is the very reason I started Stumptown Savings.
I founded this project back in April after being laid off. That sudden economic shock forced me to look at my own budget with new eyes and confront the harsh realities of making ends meet in a city where costs keep rising. My mission was born from that experience: to create a resource that helps our community shop smarter, save money, and feel a sense of control over their grocery bills.
Thanks to the Oregon Self-Employment Assistance program, which has allowed me to use my unemployment benefits while building this business (instead of searching for a new job), I’ve been able to pour everything I have into this work. For the last seven months, this has been my full-time job and then some.
And we've built something I'm incredibly proud of. Together, we've gone far beyond just a list of deals.
We’ve built a community of nearly 2,500 Portland-area households interested in understanding their local food systems better.
We've put a magnifying glass on how inflation is really affecting Portlanders, tracking over 3,500 local egg prices and monitoring 20 staple items across 20 stores to provide concrete data that federal averages miss.
We've created tools to empower you, from a comprehensive guide to every farmers market in the city to a calculator that tells you if a Costco membership is actually worth it for your family.
We've celebrated the people who feed us, telling the stories of Native fishermen from Tutuilla True Fish and urban growers at Montavilla Mini-Farm.
We've highlighted vital community resources, from how to navigate food assistance programs to groundbreaking initiatives like the Full Basket program at the Cully Farmers Market.
We’ve built a membership program, the Savers Club, with more than 100 members who support this mission financially.
I’ve done this work with the core belief that access to affordable, nutritious food is a right, and that knowledge is the best tool to fight food insecurity.
Which brings me to today.
With this looming SNAP crisis, the mission of Stumptown Savings has never been more critical. The resources and deals I compile each week need to be in the hands of everyone who needs them, period.
That’s why, effective immediately, I am making Savers Club memberships complimentary for anyone who cannot afford one — no questions asked. Anyone can request one.
But I also need to be completely transparent with you. My own financial cliff is approaching. The unemployment benefits that have served as the seed funding for this entire project run out in two weeks. As it stands, this work is not yet financially sustainable. Advertising revenue has been slow to grow, and membership currently accounts for nearly all of my revenue.
I’m facing a crossroads, and I believe the path forward is one we can walk together.
If you find value in this work and are in a stable financial position, I’m asking you to please consider sponsoring a membership for a neighbor in need.
Your support does two crucial things:
It directly pays for a free membership for a fellow community member who is struggling.
It provides the revenue needed to keep this resource alive and growing for everyone.
This has always been about community. It started with my own need and grew into a resource for all of us. Now, its future depends on us. Thank you for being here, for reading, and for being part of this from the very beginning.
With gratitude,
Bryan.
Founder/Publisher,
Stumptown Savings
