A week ago we celebrated the birthdays of all the homeless guests we serve with our annual Birthday Party for the Homeless! Many of our homeless friends watch as their birthdays pass by year after year, uncelebrated. For others, this is their first year on the streets. For them, a birthday party simply makes life…
Read MoreThe men and women in our Link and Connect program teamed up last weekend to clean the streets of Old Town in downtown Portland! Our own staff and volunteers, along with a volunteer group from Redmond Community Church, worked alongside the Link and Connect residents in a total team effort that got the gardens of…
Read MoreA couple weeks ago, a group of women from Shepherd’s Door, our life recovery ministry for women and children, were invited to spend time with residents at The Springs Assisted Living facility in Wilsonville. The moment our ladies walked in the door, they were greeted by a beautiful room set for tea – and a…
Read MoreIn an effort to revitalize Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, the neighborhood’s community association called for volunteers to help landscape over a hundred tree wells and flowerbeds between Burnside and Glisan Street. “We’re trying to turn this neighborhood into something that everyone who lives here will enjoy, as well as people who come [to visit],” Association…
Read MoreEvery Tuesday night, homeless women receive tender care — foot massages, snacks and conversation — from a team of loving staff and volunteers at our Burnside Shelter. Jan, a member of our staff, shares about this week’s outreach: As we drove to outreach last night, we all felt tired. This is not unusual. It’s the…
Read MoreTypical rainy days and cold nights continue here in Portland. Thanks to continued clothing donations, we were able to share a surplus of coats, shoes and other items with over a hundred homeless men and women last week. Our special thanks to 16 volunteers from Solid Rock church who helped us with the giveaway event.…
Read MoreFrom Oregonlive.com: Many in the Portland faith community believe it’s their core duty to help the destitute, and they don’t think their congregations are doing enough. At the same time, the prospect of doing more flummoxes them. Paul Schroeder understands the dynamic that freezes churches in place. As coordinator of the New City Initiative,…
Read MorePortland’s hungry and homeless will now have access to free lunches on Saturday and Sunday, served by Portland Rescue Mission and funded by The Walmart Foundation as part of its nationwide hunger relief program. For years the Mission has served a hot, nutritious breakfast and dinner, seven days a week, year-round, to anyone who needed…
Read MoreElaine walked to the Mission, exhausted. She looked forward to a warm meal in an encouraging environment, even if it only gave her relief from the street for an hour or so. As she settled into her seat to wait to go to the dining room, a young woman approached her. “Would you like to…
Read MoreThe nights have turned cold here in the northwest. To help care for our homeless guests, we’ve expand our capacity at the Burnside Shelter from 50 to around 130 beds and mats as of November 1st. To those who don’t have shelter, we regularly hand out blankets to provide what warmth we can. You can…
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