Delta Music Experience Blues Cruises

The Waterfront Blues Festival is coming, and you can cruise the beautiful Willamette River, listen to some blues, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a full bar - all while also helping the Oregon Food Bank's mission to eliminate hunger! Click here for more info!
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Volunteers Needed: Helping Hands

A woman with a brain injury needs an organizing buddy. She needs a compassionate and non-judgemental coach who can help her start & complete tasks that will help get more order in her apartment before her housing inspection at the end of April.

Laundry assistance
A local neighbor needs assistance washing a large amount of dirty laundry. The laundry would need to be taken to a laundry facility that has oversized washers. Soap, quarters, and cleaning supplies will be provided to the volunteer. The local neighbor has several physical limitations due to various medical issues and would appreciate a helping hand.



Wall washing
On April 14, 2009 NWPM received a referral from Friendly House for a frail, elderly woman who needs her walls cleaned prior to her housing inspection. The apartment is about 350 square feet, and the resident smoked inside for a number of years, so it’s a fairly significant project requiring a few hours, and might be best for a duo or small team.

Cleaning help
NWPM has been asked to find volunteers to help with the cleaning of residential apartments for local neighbors. Did you know that residents that are unable to pass their annual inspection can be evicted? Requests to assist residents who are unable to sufficiently clean their apartments and pass inspections are ongoing for NWPM. These projects aren't glamorous but are crucial for the quality of life for our neighbors and friends.

Volunteer Driver: Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
We are looking for someone who is available to drive people home from the NWPM Food Pantry as they are physically unable to carry their food boxes home on their own. We’d also like support with making deliveries and getting items from the warehouse to the Food Pantry as time allows. Special Ride Connection driver application is required when transporting people.

Community Share Delivery People Needed
If you have a vehicle and 30 minutes you could help get surplus food delivered to residents at low-income buildings in downtown & NW. Help feed people & keep food from going to waste!

Please see our list below for some of our on-going volunteer needs!

If you have a couple of hours to volunteer to make a difference, please contact:

Kelly Caldwell,
Northwest Portland Ministries
Volunteer Manager
Kelly@nwpm.org
2701 NW Vaughn, Suite 102
Pdx OR 97210
Main Phone: 503-221-1224
Fax: 503-505-5028

NWPM Volunteer Opportunities & current news are available at any time on our blog: http://nwpmcommunity.blogspot.com/
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Living Well with Chronic Conditions

People struggling with chronic health issues can learn ways to cope with these challenges and improve their quality of life through an upcoming workshop: Living Well with Chronic Conditions. The workshop empowers those living with conditions like arthritis, heart problems, asthma, stroke, pain, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, emphysema and cancer, and allows them make the best of their situation through:

• Symptom management
• Dealing with anger, depression and other emotions
• Goal setting and problem solving
• Improving nutrition and developing a suitable exercise program
• Medication management
• Breathing exercises and managing stress
• Communicating with family, friends and health care professionals

The workshop meets for 2 ½ hours, once a week for six weeks. Two trained leaders facilitate the workshop

This workshop, created at Stanford University, is designed for people who have one or more chronic conditions. They are welcome to bring a friend, relative or caregiver to the sessions, as well. The cost for either class below is free; however, donations of any amount are gladly accepted for materials/handouts.

Class #1
Location: First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ
1430 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Dates: Thursdays, June 4- July 9
Time: 12:30pm-3pm

Facilitators: Linda Payne, & Gert Welsh
Registration: Northwest Portland Ministries, codi@nwpm.org, 503-221-1224

Class #2
Location: Friendly House
2617 NW Savior St.
Portland, OR.
503-224-2640
Dates: Mondays, June 15- July 20
Time: 1:00 to 3:30 pm

Facilitators: Joyce Holohan-Bell, Cameliah Hanamann, & Sally Deleuw
Registration: Northwest Portland Ministries, codi@nwpm.org, 503-221-1224
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Volunteer Drivers Wanted!

Northwest Portland Ministries gets over 1000 requests for rides each month!

We are very much in need of volunteer drivers to get folks to medical appointments and other key locations. Drivers can use one of the NWPM vehicles or drive their own car. (If you use your own vehicle you are eligible for a reimbursement or tax write-off of 50 cents per mile.)

There is a special approval process to ensure liability issues are properly addressed:
1) Complete a Ride Connection Driver Application & return it to NWPM
2) Once approved, (you must have 5 years of good driving history, be at least 23, and pass a background check) make an appointment for a brief orientation, and then you are ready to go.

For a complete details and to express interest, please contact David@nwpm.org or 503-221-1224.
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Current Volunteer Opportunities

Be a Volunteer Driver: A day or few hours a week. Learn more here.
Be a Friendly Receptionist for NWPM Transportation:
Loaves & Fishes Senior Lunch Program on Weekdays:
Emergency Food Box Volunteers: Feed the Hungry!
Make a Community Share Delivery!
Transit Adventure Volunteers Wanted!:
Looking for a Volunteer Human Resources Consultant:
Friendly Visitor/Helping Hand:
New Project:

Be a Friendly Receptionist for NWPM Transportation: Help answer the phone and take ride requests at the NWPM office when seniors are calling in to request rides. Mornings are especially busy times.

Loaves & Fishes Senior Lunch Program on Weekdays: Come help set-up and serve lunch and then we clean up the space (so it can be used for other purposes in the afternoons). Help on Wednesdays is especially needed..

Emergency Food Box Volunteers: Feed the Hungry! Choose a shift on: Tuesdays or Fridays from 10:45 am-1:00 pm,2nd Weds. 9:00-11:30 am for fresh produce distribution.
Various tasks & activities are also available at other times.Please inquire!

Make a Community Share Delivery! Keep food from being wasted & get it to folks who need it. Drop off surplus perishable food at a low-income building in the area. The ideal times are on Tuesday & Friday afternoons, with options sometimes available on Mon. & Thurs. too.

Transit Adventure Volunteers Wanted!: Work with NWPM & Ridewise to help organize affordable and fun senior fieldtrips via public transportation. (Training from Ridewise required). The most recent example of this is a trip to the zoo on Sept. 16th. See previous posting).

Looking for a Volunteer Human Resources Consultant: Skilled & creative writer & editor needed to help create job descriptions and update other volunteer management tools & documents.

Friendly Visitor/Helping Hand: One-on-one matches with seniors in need. Examples include light housekeeping, packing help, file/paperwork help, or just a social visit.

New Project: Interior Decorators and Apartment Organizers are invited to help low income neighbors make the most of their space. This can be done in a number of ways from making a display to offering one-on-one support.

Contact:
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org <=== click here!
(503) 221-1224 ext.105
Use your back button to return to the Community Connections blog.

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May 2009: NWPM Food Box Fundraiser/Food Drive

Northwest Portland Ministries May 2009

During the month of May you can support the NWPM Food Box by donating food at participating locations, attending raffels and special events at participating businesses, and donating cash at point of sale cash boxes at Food Front, Blooming Moon Spa, and Chown Hardware.

Please pass this information on to your friends, family, and co-workers!

Thank You
Codi Kodama,
Office Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
codi@nwpm.org
Phone: 503-221-1224
Fax: 503-505-5028

Northwest Portland Ministries
2701 NW Vaughn St. Suite 102
Portland, Oregon 97210
info@nwpm.org
nwpmcommunity.blogspot.com

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Mental Health Awareness Training

Approximately 26.2 percent of adult Americans suffer from diagnosable mental disorders in a given year. Additionally, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States. This means that community volunteers who help the elderly and disabled are very likely to come into contact with someone who is mentally ill.

Community volunteers, congregations, and agencies that work with disabled and mentally ill populations are invited to come to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Wednesday, May 27th at 6pm for Mental Health Awareness Training.

• Listen to first hand experiences of what it’s like living with a mental illness
• Learn ways to enhance recovery of mentally ill individuals
• Discover ways to reduce stigma
• Learn about the different mental illnesses
• Find helpful ways to cope with difficult situations
• Cover skills for compassion and listening boundaries
• Provide basic info about community resources

Date: Wednesday, May 27th
Time: 6:00 pm -to- 9:00 pm

6:00 to 7:30 - Presentation: “In Our Own Voice” by NAMI Multnomah

7:30 to 9:00 - Volunteer training and a question and answer period

Location: Bishop Scott Room of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
(147 NW 19th, 97209)

Food and beverages will be provided.

Please R.S.V.P beore May 20th to Codi at the NWPM office. Call 503-221-1224 or email him at codi@nwpm.org.
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Thursday Workparty May 21st: Volunteers Needed

What: Come help us organize at the food warehouse
When: Thursday, May 21, 2009, 10:30am - 1:00pm
Where: NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton, a green colored building with a green awning on NW Overton between NW 21st and NW 22nd.
To learn more about the warehouse work parties and why they're so important to our Emergency Food Pantry, Food for Kids Backpacks and Community Share programs, click here and here.
If you’d like to help at the warehouse but can’t make it to this event, please contact us and we'll find an alternate time or activity that fits your schedule.

Contact:
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org
(503) 221-1224 ext.105
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