Sandy Fahey, who helped found the Carpenters Food Bank, passed away June 21 at age 70.
Sandra Lee Gallacher was born July 18, 1942, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was one of four siblings. She married Mike Fahey on June 4, 1973. Mike is a former state representative and retired executive secretary of the Portland Metal Trades Council and financial secretary and business agent of Shipwrights Local 611, an affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. [Local 611 merged with Pile Drivers and Divers Local 2416, which later merged into Pile Drivers Local 196 of the Pacific Northwest District Council of Carpenters.]
Sandy worked in the office at both the union local and metal trades council, and at the State Capitol in Salem. She helped start the Carpenters Food Bank in 1983 to assist out-of-work and striking union members from the Carpenters and Steelworkers unions. The Faheys continued coordinating the operation, and today it continues to serve as many as 700 families a month out of the Carpenters union building on the corner of North Lombard Street and Brandon Avenue in Portland. The food bank is open to the public.
Sandy Fahey is survived by her husband; daughters, Jodi Flatner and Jennifer Rehbein; sons, Michael and Patrick; 10 grandchildren; two sisters; a brother; and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sandy’s name can be made to the Carpenters Food Bank, P.O. Box 17358, Portland, OR 97217.
