Portland, OR. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Gospel Mission (UGM) of Portland has successfully maintained the health of current residents while continuing to provide portable meal containers to the community safely via the front door.
The Union Gospel Mission set up a handwashing station outside its building
“We shut the inside services down and did safety protocols to keep all of the men inside COVID-free. And praise God, we haven’t had any infections inside,” reported Bill Russell, who has overseen operations of Portland’s UGM and Lifechange – an affiliated service – for over 30 years. The inside game room and evening services at the 3rd-Avenue location are typically staffed by the 30-50 men undergoing residential recovery from trauma or substance abuse.
Adapting services to meet health regulations still comes at a cost for UGM’s bottom line: connection. “It thins out what we do. Our whole philosophy of the program is to care for people in order to connect with people and coach them.” Russell explained. “It’s been harder to build trust with just the food program, to have the conversations and relational building that’s necessary to build trust…The very concept of wanting to get people to connect is really challenged when you have to maintain six feet of distance and wear a mask.”
Establishing this trust organically has always been a priority for UGM’s volunteer “Search and Rescue” team, who normally go out in the community to get to know residents at local camps like “Right 2 Dream”. A second team provides rides to medical and housing appointments the following day if they discover a need.
UGM’s Search & Rescue team distributes meals safely with social distancing
Russell noted, “A year ago we were moving one person a week out of homelessness into some kind of either program or shelter that led into housing, so there was a pretty good flow. This year, COVID has caused a real lockup on the available places to go. We’ve placed more women with kids out of camps, but single adults have been fairly stuck in place with COVID… It’s really been a game-changer.”
Russell predicts that the economic downturn will generate more need for affordable housing, adding, “We need many more allies.” Those interested can look online for volunteer opportunities or sign up to give monthly.
On June 9th, UGM reopened its thrift store for retail shopping and are accepting donations. Face coverings and social distancing are required to ensure the safety of guests and volunteers, and hand sanitizer is provided throughout the store. UGM has requested that clothing donations be sealed in plastic bags upon arrival.
From the Union Gospel Mission’s website:
FEEDING THE HUNGRY, RESTORING THE ADDICT AND LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR. SINCE 1927.
Union Gospel Mission provides more than 250,000 meals a year to the homeless and people in need. In addition to meals, the Mission provides food boxes, a day room with coffee and snacks, clothing, hygiene items, referral services and emergency cold weather shelter to the homeless.
Portland, OR. Community Energy Project Home Energy Score Assessor, Jackie Zusi-Russell maintains social distance while evaluating client’s homes, but she’s still working to determine their energy score. Community Energy Project (CEP) has been educating and aiding homeowners in the greater Portland area for over the past 40 years. In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEP has been forced to adapt.
In-Home Auditor Geoff Fey works with a homeowner installing a water heater before quarantine began.
In-person home services are being provided, with a larger focus on exterior work to maintain social distancing. Heightened safety procedures require workers to wear gloves and masks with high enough quality to filter out asbestos. HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuums are also used during interior services to help filter the air.
With more people stuck at home during quarantine, CEP is placing a larger focus on ventilation and filtration systems.
“Home is thought to be the first line of defense,” said Development Director Cameo Konfrst.
Programs are typically directed towards seniors and those with disabilities. Low-income homes are also able to apply for free supplies and services. As paid programs have taken a hit, however, it becomes more difficult for CEP to fund free programs.
Community Energy Project supports inclusivity, placing emphasis on serving a diverse community, according to their 2018-2019 Equity Report.
Konfrst urges people to invest more in local nonprofits such as CEP instead of national, stating that smaller, local nonprofits can adapt more easily to the unique situation of a given area.
As a result of the economic downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic, society is hurting worst at the bottom, and that is where CEP is focusing.
Workshops that were previously held in person have become virtual, but it is more difficult for CEP to reach their audience in comparison to other nonprofits. Low-income families do not all have the means to go digital. Workshops are being repeated at various times to help reach a wider audience. A calendar of events and registration are available on the CEP website.
From Community Energy Project:
By empowering people with information and tools and facilitating connections to resources, we can increase the capacity of our community to address many home, environmental, health, comfort, and safety issues while conserving natural resources.
Portland, OR. The Rose Parade on Saturday, June 6th will be a virtual parade featuring shoe box-size floats created by community members. Organizers say the event will be a celebration of marching bands, equestrian units, and other Rose Festival parade favorites. It will be a Facebook Live streaming event (here’s a link for the festivities), but viewers do not need a Facebook account to watch.
Participants were invited to use materials from home to build parade floats and submit a photograph or video for a June 6th video streaming presentation.
On May 22nd, the Portland Rose Festival kicked off its 2020 season with a virtual opening night concert and fireworks streamed on Facebook. This year, most Rose Festival events and activities have been suspended, so organizers had to find creative ways to celebrate despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Porch Parade encouraged people to decorate outside their homes.
Taking inspiration from the holiday tradition of loading the family in the car and touring neighborhood light displays, the Rose Festival has created a spring-time version with a Porch Parade.
Dignitaries formed a procession to tour selected homes that have registered at ParadingInPlace.com.
Porch Parade decorations are to remain on display May 16 through May 31.
You can check out the map at this link: View the Map
Residents with rose gardens visible from the street or sidewalks were also encouraged to register.
The Royal Rosarians “Roses for Hope” rose garden celebration included in the Porch Parade map features rose gardens visible from the street. Although viewable all summer, the Rosarians Roses for Hope will conclude with a virtual Rose Garden celebration on June 16, at 6:30 p.m. (via Zoom). #ROSESforHOPE
From The Rose Festival:
The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves families and individuals with programs and events that promote the arts, education and volunteerism. We value environmental responsibility, diversity, patriotism and our historic & floral heritage.
Portland, OR. Do you have an old computer you’re not using? You can donate it to a nonprofit called Free Geek to help meet a 4,000% increase in the number of requests for computers so low-income people can get online. A good portion of requests come from students who suddenly need to get online in order to participate in K-12 education or college. Many people are reaching out on behalf of aging parents who are no longer able to visit their doctors and others are desperate for access to mental health or addiction treatment services.
If you donate, rest assured, your data will be secure. “Data security is our top concern when receiving donations – and we will thoroughly wipe (or physically destroy) any hard drives that we receive,” explains the organization. In the first weeks of the pandemic, the organization saw the demand for used laptops spike from about 300 requests per month to 3,000 per week. “Folks need the internet to be able to see a doctor, to pay their bills, do work so they can continue to get a paycheck or get an education,” said Hilary Shohoney, director of community development for Portland nonprofit Free Geek. “It touches every area of our life right now.” But an estimated 17% of Portlanders aren’t connected to the internet. In rural parts of the Northwest, that number balloons to nearly 40%. With the coronavirus pandemic all but canceling face-to-face interactions, the internet is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. “For us, the numbers changed exponentially,” Shohoney said. Here’s a link with info on donating: https://www.freegeek.org/get-involved/donate-technology
Free Geek accepts donations of computers and other electronics at its Portland facility. It offers a donation receipt you can use for tax purposes. (Photo credit, OPB)
On April 1st, Free Geek sold its first round of machines to students at PSU who didn’t have laptops for remote studying through its Low Cost Tech Community Program.
From Free Geek:
Free Geek continues to provide computers to those in need and we need your reusable laptops.
Our current focus is on receiving Macbooks and laptops with i-series processors. Secondarily we have a need for desktop computers, LCD monitors, mice, webcams and headsets. This is the aspect of our work that is essential at this time and we hope that most other hardware donations can wait until safety concerns and our capacity improve.
For hardware donations we offer the following options:
Public Drop offs (limited hours and quantity) In the parking lot on the northeast side of our building. We will have collection bins set outside the warehouse entrance. Please be prepared to unload your own vehicle and form a line if needed. For the safety of our community, we ask that you wear a face covering and maintain a 6 foot distance from staff and other donors at all times. If you don’t see John at the warehouse door when you arrive during one of the following times: please call the Warehouse Desk at (503) 232-9350 x 124. Receipts will be available by request, this can be expedited by attaching your name and email address to your donation.
Friday April 24, between 10:30am and 1pm
Saturday April 25, between 3pm and 5pm.
Thursday April 30, between 10:30am and 1pm,
Friday May 1, between 10:30am and 1pm
Saturday May 2, 2020 between 3pm and 5pm.
Drop off by appointment for 10 or more computers, or large loads of other equipment.
Please email [email protected] to let us know what you have and when you would like to bring it by.
Availability may be limited but we will work to accommodate your needs.
You can mail your donation to
Free Geek: Hardware Donation, 1731 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214.
We can pickup your equipment (limited availability, fees apply)
Currently this works best if can arrange for your items can be brought outside and, for larger volumes, secured onto pallets.
We can wait this out together, and be there for you in the future.
Free Geek’s mission is to sustainably reuse technology, enable digital access, and provide education to create a community that empowers people to realize their potential. Here’s more info on our donations: https://www.freegeek.org/get-involved/donate-technology
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