29th Annual Community Christmas Dinner 2014
New Faces . . . 5
WINTER 2015
Volunteers Create Community 2701 NW VAUGHN ST, SUITE 102 • PORTLAND, OR • 97210 503-221-1224 • www.LiftUrbanPortland.org
IN THIS ISSUE Business Partner Spotlight . . . . . . . 2 Christmas Dinner Wrap Up . . . . . . . . 3 Pantry News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 New Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Remembering Peter Sargent . . . . . . . 5 Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 In-Kind Donations & Tribute Gifts . . . 7 Food Drive Wrap Up . . . . . . . . . . Back
Warehouse Coordinator Mike Kennedy packs up food boxes for delivery.
Going the Extra Mile to Reduce Hunger The holidays are over, but the need for food remains. Make a donation to feed our neighbors online at LiftUrbanPortland.org or mail a check to 2701 NW Vaughn St. Suite 102 Portland, OR 97210
Getting food to those who need it most can be logistically challenging, especially when people have limited mobility or cannot leave their homes. But that’s the precise population that Lift Urban Portland serves through our food box delivery program. Each year, we make more than 1,200 deliveries to housebound people with enough groceries to last four to five days. Stuart Barthold is one of the many Lift Urban Portland volunteers who contribute to the success of the program.
Every Friday, he drives to the warehouse, loads up the boxes, picks up produce at the pantry, and then begins his deliveries to residents—a process that typically takes three hours or longer. Stuart began volunteering with Lift Urban Portland when he retired from his business.
“After that, I started looking for something to do,” he said. He had a history of volunteering with Meals on Wheels before he retired, and the food box deliveries were right up his alley. (continued on p. 5)
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wellness Business Partner Spotlight When you look at Legacy Health’s mission—to provide good health for its people, patients, communities, and world—it’s no wonder that Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, located in the heart of northwest Portland, has forged such a strong bond with Lift Urban Portland.
Our partnership has taken many forms over the past several decades from providing office space for Lift Urban Portland on its campus, to running free flu-shot clinics for residents in the low-income apartment buildings we serve, to holding food drives that yield hundreds of pounds of food for Preston’s Pantry.
Currently Laura Schaffer, a Legacy Good Samaritan dietician, serves on the Lift Urban Portland board and helps coordinate aspects of our health and wellness program, which works with residents in the low-income apartment buildings we serve to educate and encourage healthy life choices.
“There’s a lot of need in Northwest Portland,” says Laura. “I’m interested in being able to teach people about healthy food choices regardless of their income level.” Unfortunately, for many living near or below the poverty line, “the food budget is the last to be addressed” after rent and utility bills, says Laura, leaving some families with few resources to devote to groceries.
And it’s not just money that can be a barrier to a healthy diet, she says. That population is also more likely to face a lack of time to prepare nutritious meals, knowledge about how foods should be prepared, and access to kitchen facilities in which to cook. Those challenges are ones that Lift Urban Portland’s programs help to address through our healthy pantry initiative, healthy cooking classes, and through the roll out of initiatives like meal kits at the food pantry, which provide nearly all the ingredients needed for a simple, nutritious recipe using limited kitchen equipment and foods typically found at the pantry.
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Through our partnership with Legacy Good Samaritan, we are able to stand behind the belief that Laura says drives her work: “Everyone should have access to good, nutritious food.”
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Lift Urban Portland’s 29th Annual Community Christmas Dinner
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Lift Urban Portland’s annual community Christmas dinner, hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, served nearly 500 plates of food to those in need of a warm meal on Christmas Day. Committee chair Lynda Shapiro coordinated the efforts of more than 180 volunteers who served guests, and packed and delivered 78 meals to go for homebound residents. At the meal, diners received free turkey dinners with all the trimmings while they enjoyed festive piano music. Throughout the month of December, donations for the event steadily accumulated in the Lift Urban Portland office—everything from hand-knit scarves and hats, to packets of instant oatmeal, to lightly used purses and accessories to give away as gifts. Donations came in from individuals, businesses, and communities, including the residents at Terwilliger Plaza, who supported the Christmas dinner once again through a donation of hundreds of pairs of mittens and gloves, as well as Congregation Beth Israel’s Knit-a-Mitzvah group, which has donated hats and scarves for many years.
The widespread support from volunteers and donors across Portland truly reflects the spirit of community at the heart of this event. Thanks to everyone who donated, volunteered, and helped plan the meal.
3 1) Volunteers handed out goodie bags to diners. 2) Board member Jeff Miller and his children serve coffee before the meal. 3) Kathy Buss headed up the cooking team. 4) Guests chose gifts from the many items donated by the community. 5) Dishwashers included Pam Farkas, Jerry Schwartz, Abe Farkas, Madeline & Fenn Bourland, and team leader Carole Barkley.
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Updates from Preston’s Pantry The past few months have brought several exciting changes to Preston’s Pantry.
In December, we expanded pantry hours to a third day each week—Thursday nights from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.—in order to better accommodate the needs of our community. One grateful pantry visitor said this change allows her to patronize the pantry for the first time because the other pantry hours (12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays) conflict with her child’s school pick-up times.
In addition, we have begun offering free meal kits with a focus on nutritious food, using ingredients typically found at the pantry. Each meal kit includes a recipe and nearly all the ingredients needed for it in pre-measured increments. Pantry goers pick up a couple of extra items available from the pantry to complete the meal. Penzey’s Spices has generously supported this program with a donation of 35 pounds of spices for the meals.
In conjunction, Michelle—a recent transplant to Portland and a new Lift Urban Portland volunteer—cooks the recipe in our brand new crockpot, donated by Kerry Politzer. Michelle then hands out free samples to pantry visitors while they’re waiting in line, helping to make the pantry a friendlier and more enjoyable place to visit.
After picking up the first meal kit, which included the ingredients to make an apple cobbler, one food pantry recipient from Medallion Apartments said she loved it so much she made the recipe several more times in the following weeks. A big thanks to our program staff as well as all the wonderful volunteers who have stepped up to make these expansions possible. Warehouse coordinator Mike Kennedy with our new refrigerator and freezer.
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Volunteers Greg and Rob prepare Preston’s Pantry for the first Thursday evening shift.
Appliance Overhaul When the freezer at Preston’s Pantry took its final breath, generous supporters of Lift Urban Portland stepped up to the plate more than we ever could have anticipated. In the end, we received not just one but two new freezers as well as a commercial-sized refrigerator. Madeline Nelson generously bought Lift Urban Portland a brand new freezer which was delivered to Preston’s Pantry just a few days after we put out our call for help. Riegelmann’s, which supplied the freezer, also helped keep it affordable by selling it at a discount and delivering it for free.
In addition, Sandy Jacobs heard about our need and offered to donate a commercial freezer and refrigerator to Lift Urban Portland. She wanted to give the appliances a second life after her restaurant in Sandy, Oregon closed down and thought donating them to our organization was a great fit. After working out a few logistical details about how to move such large appliances from Sandy to NW Portland, the freezer and refrigerator are happily settled into the warehouse. This new capacity allows Lift Urban Portland to stock and preserve a much larger volume of frozen and perishable food for Preston’s Pantry and all of our food programs. Warehouse coordinator Mike called the appliances “state of the art” and is overjoyed to have them up and running.
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A New Face at Lift Urban Portland Going the Extra Mile (continued from p. 1) “I like getting involved with good people,” said Stuart.
Among the recipients he serves, there are certain individuals who stand out. People like Jo, who has been receiving food boxes through Lift Urban Portland for several years.
When her building’s management decided not to continue coordinating food box deliveries for their residents, Jo and another person in the building took on the task themselves.
They communicated with the Lift Urban Portland office to confirm the number of food boxes needed, informed people in the building of when the food boxes would arrive, and met Stuart outside with dollies to distribute the boxes on delivery day.
Jo has since moved to a new building, and in preparation she picked and trained a successor so that her former neighbors would continue to receive food boxes.
“[The program] just couldn’t be better,” said Jo. Not only does it arrive toward the end of the month when money is tightest, “it’s like a surprise,” she said.
She said the food boxes remind her of the care packages she received from her mother when she was a traveling musician.
“Even though I need it, it’s still fun,” she said.
BARBARA CROOKE Board Member Barbara Crooke joined the board of Lift Urban Portland in January after volunteering for nearly a decade and spending three years on staff as the office assistant. Barbara was born and raised in Massachusetts where she worked as a social worker before moving to Portland 16 years ago. Her husband Rob works for Intel, her daughter Rachael recently graduated from Pitzer College, and her daughter Alyssa is a junior at Santa Clara University.
Remembering Peter Sargent
We were saddened to hear of the death of Peter Sargent, a longtime supporter of Lift Urban Portland. Peter passed away unexpectedly on November 5, 2014. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Lift Urban Portland in many ways. In addition to his financial contributions, he donated the use of his seaside condo to our fundraising auctions, and hosted a donor appreciation event at his beautiful home. As a committee member, his talent and vision as an interior designer contributed immensely to our 2012 and 2013 garden parties. He was a generous and charming man, and is missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.
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lift urban portl and OCTOBER 1–DECEMBER 31, 2014
Donors
AmazonSmile Foundation
The Bellamah Family Trust at the American Endowment Foundation
Anonymous Artifact
George & Gayle Bachik
David S. & Carol R. Baker Barbara Ballweber Lynne Bartenstein
Stuart & Jacqueline Barthold Judith Beck
Ginger M. Beck &
Ian Armstrong
Chita Becker
William & Nancy Bennetts Blush Beauty Bar
Fineke Brasser & Amnon Gibly Becky Brown
Mrs. W. L. Brunner
Scott & Gloria Burns
Cambia Health Foundation Child’s Play
Congregation Beth Israel Catherine Cooke
John Crawford & Jody Stahancyk
Barbara & Rob Crooke
Arthur & Winnifred Danner Reena & Stuart Davis
The Katharine Diack Fund
of the Oregon Community Foundation
Nikki & Stuart Director
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Norma Dody
Leatrice Kaplan
Gerson Robboy
Dr. Edward Doyle
Molly Kohnstamm
Heidi & Joe Rose
Mark Dohrmann &
Julie Durkheimer
Inga & Joseph DuBay Vida Edera
Marian Edwards Family Partnership
Janice Elven
ESCO Corporation Michael Feldman
Bruce & Miriam Fitch Virginia Finch
First Immanuel Lutheran Church
Laurie Followell Fred Meyer
Robert Liebman &
Elaine Friedman
Morris J. Galen
Janet Gallagher
Jerry & Marilyn Gustafson Meryl & Gordon Haber Rudolph & Jill Hack Ilene Hayes
Kenneth & Jane Hergenhan Nona Hoffinger
Matthew Warren Holloway John & Earlene Holmstrom Home Forward
Jeanne & John Howard
The Jackson Foundation
Ellin & Fletcher Johnson Kristine Jurgenson
Jan & James Kasameyer Kobos Coffee
Janet La Rossa
Craig & Linda Langley Richard Lewis Limbo
Joyce & Stanley Loeb
Susan & Douglas MacKinnon Maybelle Clark MacDonald Fund
Oscar & Mary Mayer Lindsay McGrath
McMenamins Pubs & Breweries
Brad & Janet Mersereau Lora & James Meyer Alan & Lana Miller
John & Jane Morris
David & Anne Munro Brendan Murphy
The Neidig Family
Charitable Foundation
Jill & Dr. Ed Neuwelt
Northwest Industrial
Neighborhood Association
Michael & Gloria Borg Olds Mildred Olson
Milo & Bev Ormseth
The Parish of St. Mark Jeff Pazdalski
Marilyn & Richard Portwood Elizabeth Rayner
Kari Rodegard &
Mark Lewinsohn
Rose E. Tucker
Charitable Trust
Rosemarie Rosenfeld
Stan & Madelle Rosenfeld Family Foundation
Richard Rubinstein, Jr. MD LLC Laura Schaffer Seams to Fit
SELCO Community Credit Union
Lynda Shapiro
Helene Silberstein
Martha & Les Soltesz St. Patrick Church
Star Industrial Supply, Inc. Bruce Strade
Terwilliger Plaza Barry Tonkin
Tournament Golf
Foundation, Inc.
Betty Trudeau
Kay Van Patten
Carolyn Vanderslice Jerry Weigler Joe Welch
Joseph E. Weston Public
Foundation of the Oregon Community Foundation
Jane Price Willsea
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Tribute Gifts In honor of Max Borg Michael & Gloria Borg Olds In honor of Rena Borg
Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Richard & April Borg Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Rochelle Borg & Kyla Herblum Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Nikki Director Alan & Lana Miller
Michael & Gloria Borg Olds Bruce Strade
In honor of Preston Holt William & Nancy Bennetts Inga & Joseph DuBay Virginia Finch
John & Earlene Holmstrom Ellin & Fletcher Johnson
In honor of Ruth & John Maxwell Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Susan Milstein Bruce Strade
In honor of Benjamin Olds, Nadine Gartner & Yael Michael & Gloria Borg Olds In honor of Josh, Melanie & Pearl Olds Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Ross Peterson George & Gayle Bachik
In-Kind Donations In honor of Bruce, Karen & Isabella Rusnak Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Carolyn Rusnak Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of David, Rhonda, SJ & Rachel Rusnak Michael & Gloria Borg Olds
In honor of Steven, Debbie, Matthew & Elena Rusnak Michael & Gloria Borg Olds In memory of Susan Armstrong Ginger M. Beck &
Ian Armstrong
In memory of Stan Crawford Mildred Olson
In memory of Davis Finch Virginia Finch
In memory of Evelyn Galen Morris J. Galen
In memory of Edward & Dorothy Morgenstern Martha & Les Soltesz In memory of Pex
Stuart & Jacqueline Barthold
In memory of Peter Sargent Nikki & Stuart Director In memory of
Mark Dohrmann & Julie Durkheimer Joyce & Stanley Loeb
At left: The Northwest Industrial Neighborhood Association collected nearly 3,000 pounds of food for Lift Urban Portland during its December food drive with enthusiastic participation from businesses like Southwest Office Supply & Interiors (left) and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (right).
Karissa Aleskus Anonymous
Carole Barkley & David Loftus Alissa Beddow
The Knitters of Beit Haverim John & Sandra Bright The Families of
Cathedral Grade School
Jan Catto
The Members of
Congregation Beth Israel
Darr Durham
Equal Exchange Jeba Farhana
The Members of First
Immanuel Lutheran Church
Katie Gallagher
General Tool & Supply Co. Linda Gleason
The Clients of Hanu Pilates Patti & Shane Harrison
The Members of Havurah Shalom
Home Street Bank Sandy Jacobs
Kristine Jurgenson
Kenny & Zuke’s Bagelworks Knit a Mitzvah Nicholas Kula
Linda Langley
The Members of
The Parish of St. Mark
Linfield College of Nursing Lynn Martin
Madeline B. Nelson Jill Neuwelt
Marjorie Newman Cody Newton
Northwest Industrial
Neighborhood Association
Oregon State Association of
Occupational Health Nurses
Penzeys Spices Kerry Politzer
Portland Food Project Dave Richardson Terry Robinson Safeway - Pearl
Salvation Army,
White Shield Center
The Family of Libby Schwartz & David Smith
SCRAP
SELCO Community Credit Union
Star Industrial Supply, Inc. Starbucks Coffee Co. St. Mary’s Cathedral Judith Stone
The Residents & Staff of Terwilliger Plaza
Susan Thomas Trader Joe’s
Sandra Trainer
The Members of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Staff & Clients of Twisted Urban Gleaners
The Employees of Wells Fargo David Wiley, DMD, LLC Ann Witsil
Karen Wynkoop The Members of
Zion Lutheran Church
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Thank you to the people and organizations that contributed to Lift Urban Portland during our last fiscal quarter. Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of these lists. If you see an error, please contact us at 503-221-1224. 7
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December Food Drive Wrap Up The Northwest Industrial Neighborhood Association brought in nearly 3,000 pounds of groceries during its December food drive benefitting Lift Urban Portland. Barbara Macnab, from Star Industrial Supply Inc., and Harold Hutchinson, from HH Click, coordinated the donations from the more than 25 organizations that participated in the drive. (See pictures on page 6.)
The students at Portland’s Cathedral School met their goal of collecting more than 2,000 pounds of food for Lift Urban Portland. That’s more than double the amount of food they collected last year! The K-8 school’s food drive was organized by the fifth grade class.