Leo Chung (General Manager) and Cruz Rodriguez (Production Manager) at Longbottom Coffee.
Portland Rescue Mission relies on the generous, compassionate support from more than 30,000 supporters to keep our doors open as a safe refuge for people in need. Individuals, businesses, churches and other organizations provide hope by the ton with in-kind donations of food, clothing and toiletries – 700,000 pounds a year!
One of those organizations is Longbottom Coffee, located in Hillsboro, Oregon.
“Partnering with Portland Rescue Mission is part of our DNA,” said Leo Chung, General Manager for Longbottom Coffee, a long-term provider of coffee for homeless guests at our Burnside Shelter. “It helps us be a part of what is happening in the community we live in and keeps our minds focused on more than just what is happening here.”
Portland Rescue Mission has also developed close relationships with many churches throughout the Portland metro area over our 66 years of existence. Churches provide invaluable volunteer help, but also help by with clothing drives.
For Insil Kang, Director of Community Connections and Communications at Village Baptist Church, her church’s relationship with Portland Rescue Mission has blossomed into more than just another serve project.
“When I first began attending Village, regularly serving at Portland Rescue Mission is what solidified my sense of belonging,” she said. “My church life went beyond Sundays, and Portland Rescue Mission was a part of that.
“As a church, our partnership began as an opportunity through personal relationships with Portland Rescue Mission staff, and has now morphed into a leadership area for some of our dedicated congregation members.”
Village Baptist regularly helps with donations of socks, jeans and winter clothing.
Partnerships with other nonprofit organizations provide mutual benefit as well. Most of the work for Medical Teams International (MTI) is focused overseas, for example, but they also provide local help.
“We get a lot of over-the-counter, hygiene and paper products we are privileged to share,” says Jennifer Nash, Production Coordinator for MTI. “Working with local agencies like Portland Rescue Mission is really special. We’re able to do something tangible that’s also helping right here in our community in the northwest.”
Jennifer Nash (Production Coordinator for Medical Teams International) with Christopher Hall (Warehouse Manager for Portland Rescue Mission).
If your church, business or organization is interested in starting a collection drive over the holidays, please email donations@pdxmission.org. Learn more at PortlandRescueMission.org/DonateItems.
With your partnership, we can continue to give hope and restore life for the men, women and children who are caught in the storms of homelessness and addiction.