You may already have favorite charities to which you give. If not, here are a few ideas for helping out locally, most of which were submitted by BWNA board members last year, when we first published this list. Thank you for giving this holiday season and beyond!
Food
St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, svdppdx.org
Helps thousands of people a year to maintain housing, keep utilities on, and get emergency food boxes.
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon – NE Emergency Food Program emoregon.org/nefp
Meets the urgent food needs of our Portland metro area neighbors, primarily those living in east Portland.
Oregon Food Bank, oregonfoodbank.org
Distributes free food to anyone experiencing food insecurity.
Portland Food Project, portlandfoodproject.org
Has neighborhood coordinators who pick up food from about 1,600 households and distribute it to local food pantries, five of which are in NE Portland.
Housing/Homelessness
Portland Community Warehouse, communitywarehouse.org
Provides donated furniture and household items to those seeking the comfort and dignity of a furnished home while overcoming adversity.
Habitat for Humanity Portland Region habitatportlandregion.org
Offers low-income families, single parents, and refugees a chance to help build their own homes alongside volunteers.
Street Roots, streetroots.org
Produces a street newspaper focused on homelessness, poverty, and social justice issues. Vendors, who are jobless and/or homeless, sell the newspaper as a means of earning income.
Small Business Support
Prosper Global (formerly Mercy Corps), prosperglobal.org
Supports people undergoing economic, environmental, social, and political instability. In Oregon, the focus of this Portland-based organization is helping low-income entrepreneurs overcome barriers to starting and maintaining a small business.
Youth
Beaumont Middle School PTA Family Resiliency Fund, beaumont-family-resiliency-fund.cheddarup.com
Offers, through the PTA, support for students at BMS who are experiencing emergencies that may impact their overall well-being and ability to be successful in school.
Portland Youth Builders, pybpdx.org
Has helped thousands of young people change their lives through a combination of vocational training, counseling, career development, and long-term support.
New Avenues for Youth, newavenues.org
Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of youth homelessness for young people ages 9 to 24.
compiled by Susan Trabucco, BWNA Board Member and Newsletter Editor