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The organization has purchased the former CAT building, which it plans to renovate. “It’s good that we’re growing, but it’s sad that we’re growing,” says the group’s board president.
Burrito Brigade, a Eugene-based nonprofit that distributes free burritos to the unhoused and operates a food rescue program, has purchased a building at 455 W. First Street. The organization is embarking on a fundraising campaign to transform the space into a permanent home for its growing operations.
“We keep growing because food insecurity is not going anywhere, and we are getting more recognition in the community,” said Jennifer Denson, Burrito Brigade’s executive director.
The group relies on dozens of volunteers to operate two major programs that serve hundreds of families each week. The weekend burrito distribution program now produces between 500 and 550 vegan burritos every weekend. Volunteers drive around to give out the burritos. And some are placed in the organization’s Little Free Pantries and community refrigerators.
Burrito Brigade’s food rescue program, Waste to Taste, launched during the pandemic in 2020. The program rescues 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of food each month from local grocery stores, farms and restaurants. The rescued food, which includes bread and canned goods as well as fresh prepared foods and fresh fruits and vegetables, is staged in a shopping area similar to a grocery store. Shoppers walk through the aisles and take what they want for their households. There is no income requirement for eligibility.
Waste to Taste serves approximately 800 families per month with shopping appointments and about 80 homebound households per month, who receive deliveries of food boxes.
“It’s good that we’re growing, but it’s sad that we’re growing because our services are needed more and more,” said board president Kathy Calise.
A decade of community service
Burrito Brigade began in 2014 when a group of volunteers identified a need for nutritious food for the unhoused on weekends when other services weren’t available. Calise and her husband, Chris Calise, were involved from the beginning as donors.
The original group started making burritos on Sunday out of a house in the Whiteaker neighborhood, Calise said.
They later rented the kitchen at Food for Lane County, and also used a church kitchen to prepare the burritos, before the kitchen installation was finished at the current building, at 1775 W. Sixth Ave. By October 2023, all of Burrito Brigade’s programs were under one roof there.
The current 3,900-square-foot space, leased since July 2022, has served as valuable “training wheels,” according to Denson, but its limitations were quickly apparent. The building, and the kitchen in particular, has an inefficient layout, resulting from a partial renovation for a cannabis dispensary that previously leased the building but never opened.
“The kitchen here doesn’t really work well as a commercial kitchen,” Denson said. “We’ve learned what we need to do differently.”
The new building will provide office space and meeting rooms, which the current location lacks. Denson is excited to design the new kitchen.
“We looked at lots of buildings to lease before we got [the new] building,” Denson said. “It’s been such a process. But in getting 455 W. First Street, I definitely feel like we found our home. I’m hoping that we can design it with growth in mind, and that it can be our home for a number of years.”
Fundraising campaign and timeline
Calise said it might be a year and a half before they are completely ready to move out of the current building, but the group hopes to move the Waste to Taste program into the new building by spring.
The organization needs to raise between $300,000 and $450,000 to convert the building. Fundraisers have already raised $60,000 for roof repairs.
The purchase of the 8,000-square-foot building was made possible through a combination of financing and donations, and the new mortgage payment is roughly equivalent to its current rent. With about two years remaining on the current lease, Burrito Brigade has time to complete the renovations before fully moving.
The building was formerly owned by BEST, or Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation. Before that, it was occupied by the Center for Appropriate Transport, known as CAT.
The Burrito Brigade Waste to Taste pantry provides rescued food to community members by appointment. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Fresh vegetables, bread and canned goods, among other foods, are donated by grocery stores and are available to community members at no cost through Waste to Taste. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield 
Donated produce, such as these tomatoes in the Burrito Brigade kitchen, are put into the pantry or processed into usable items. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Looking forward
Burrito Brigade is planning its third annual community Thanksgiving dinner at Whirled Pies. Last year, it served more than 200 people and included distribution of clothing, hand warmers and sleeping bags.
Another clothing distribution is planned for this year. The organization is also launching a canned food drive in October, and is seeking local businesses to host donation barrels. As fresh food donations typically decrease in the winter months, Burrito Brigade seeks canned goods to fill the gap.
More information about Burrito Brigade can be found on its website. Donations can be made through the group’s Zeffy fundraising page.
Correction: Because of an editing error, a previous version of this story misstated the owner of the building prior to Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation.
