Central City Concern Graduation Ceremony

Volunteers from Central City Concern often help out at NWPM's food pantry when we receive deliveries. Central City recognizes individuals who complete 80 hours of community volunteering with a graduation ceremony and will do so Wednesday, September 8th at 3:00pm.
If you would like to support these members of our community for reaching this milestone, come celebrate their success. RSVP via email to malejos@centralcityconcern.org or call (503) 467-4630.

You're Invited

May 3-7 is Nurse's Week at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, and for the 700 nurses working here, that means the Fourth Annual Nurse Week Food Drive Competition!

Twenty nursing units compete to donate the most food-per-nurse, with the collected food supporting two fabulous neighborhood programs run by Northwest Portland Ministries: the Emergency Food Box program for low-income residents, and the Food for Kids Backpack program benefiting Chapman School students who otherwise would go home hungry for the weekend.

Weigh-in for the trophy and weighty honor is 8 a.m. Friday, May 7 in the Good Samaritan lobby, 1015 N.W. 22nd Ave. Please join us as we tip the scales against hunger in our neighborhood. (map.)
Last year, Good Sam nurses donated nearly 3,000 pounds of the foods most needed by these programs!

"Nurses are not only focused on their caring and compassion in the hospital, but caring and compassion in the community. The people who need this food are the people they take care of," said Denise Fall, RN, who co-chairs the Nurses Week Food Drive Competition with Desi Shubin, RN. "Nurses," added Shubin, "are really generous."

Hope to see you there!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES as of 3/5/10

Deliver Lunch to Irving Street Loaves & Fishes on Wednesdays
Pick up coolers from the main Loaves & Fishes Kitchen and deliver to the Irving Street Senior Lunch Program at 10:45 a.m., in time for lunch. Needed: A good sized vehicle that can fit several coolers, ability to lift full coolers, or willingness to ask other volunteers to help with that. (Recommended: A tarp or towel to keep your vehicle clean).
Contact Schedule: Pam Porter at pamela.porter503@gmail.com or call 503.327.1253.

Volunteer at the Food Pantry on Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Feed the Hungry! Greet clients and sign them in, assist with filling food requests, stock shelves, maintain neat shelves and racks, light clean-up duties. Address: 1808 NW Irving, First Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Shop the Dock at the Oregon Food Bank Tuesday Mornings
Shopping the dock involves going to the Oregon Food Bank (7900 N.E. 33rd Drive) and seeing what types of fruits, veggies, dairy, bread etc. are available. The items need to be brought to the NWPM Food Pantry at 1808 NW Irving.

Volunteer Driver: Take an elder to the doctor
Use one of the NWPM vehicles or drive your own car to get folks to medical appointments and other key locations.
When: Flexible, based on availability & need
Requirements: Age 23 or older, Ride Connection Application turned in to NWPM, Background check, three training components to be completed within six months.

Deliver Emergency Food Boxes
If you have a vehicle and 30 minutes, you could deliver a food box to a specific hungry person, or get a box of surplus food delivered to our Community Share program to residents at low-income buildings in downtown & NW. Help feed people and keep food from going to waste! Vehicle, Bike trailer or little red wagon needed.
When: Flexible, ideal times are on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, with options sometimes available on Mondays and Thursdays too.

Lend a Helping Hand (individualized support)
Our volunteers are called on to answer requests from our neighbors in Northwest Portland who need assistance with moving, shopping, cleaning, or friendly visits. If you are looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in someone's life, Helping Hands is a great way to get involved. Note: Williams Plaza resident with a learning disability needs at tutor for his PCC English Class.

Create Your Own Volunteer Opportunity!
NWPM staff is available in a limited capacity to support “out of the box” volunteer work. If you see a need or have an idea, we’d like to hear from you to discuss what might be possible.

Something Jewish for Christmas Dinner

Northwest Portland Ministries is serving a free Christmas dinner Dec. 25 at Congregation Beth Israel’s Schnitzer Family Center, 1972 NW Flanders St., noon-2 p.m., for neighborhood residents. Guests will also receive knitted scarves and hats and a gift bag of practical items. Last year, 414 turkey dinners were served and another 83 meals were delivered to people unable to leave their homes. Anyone needing transportation should call NWPM at 503-221-1224 before Dec. 22. Other sponsors include: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, St. Mary’s Cathedral, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Ascension Parish and Food Front.

What: Free Christmas dinner for NW Portland neighborhood residents
When: Friday, December 25, 2009, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Where: Congregation Beth Israel's Schnitzer Family Center, 1972 NW Flanders St.

View or print the flyer!

Got a pick-up truck?

Help low income neighbors get some furniture! Many times someone gets into housing but has absolutely nothing, no bed, no chairs etc. The case managers we work with can help folks get items from places like the Community Warehouse, but often there is no way to transport these items to the recipient. This project can be scheduled at your convenience, please let us know if have a van or truck & could be available for this type of service.

Call 503 221-1224.

Volunteer Opportunities

Loaves & Fishes Delivery Driver needed for Mondays at 10:45 a.m.
We need someone to pick-up coolers from the downtown Elm Court Loaves & Fishes Kitchen at 1023 SW Main and bring them to the Irving Street Loaves & Fishes. If you have a good sized vehicle that can fit several coolers and have the ability to lift full coolers or willingness to ask other volunteers for assistance you could help feed 40 seniors every Monday! Aside from food pick up you could also stay and help with lunch if you want to.

Wrap presents at the Holiday Village in NW Portland on Sat. 12/12.
Holiday Village is organized by the Nob Hill Business Association. This event will include music, refreshments, gift wrapping, Santa & much more. It is from 11am -5pm the first four Saturdays in December. Location: 635 NW 23rd (between Hoyt & Irving).

NWPM has been invited to have volunteers staff the gift wrapping station on Dec. 12th. A different non-profit is invited to participate each Saturday.

This is a fundraiser and community event for Northwest Portland Ministries and we need 3-4 people each shift to wrap gifts and have fun. All materials provided.

The time has been divided into two shifts and we are in need of 3 folks between 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you are good at wrapping and available please arrive 15 minutes before your shift. Call Kelly at 503-221-1224 ext. 105 or e-mail kelly@nwpm.org to sign-up.

Got a pick-up truck? Help Low income people get some furniture!
Many times someone gets into housing but has absolutely nothing, no bed, no chairs etc. Case managers we work with can help folks get items from places like the Community Warehouse, but often there is no way to transport these items to the recipient. This project can be scheduled at your convenience, please let us know if you have a van or truck and could be available for this type of service. Call Kelly at 503-221-1224 ext. 105 or e-mail kelly@nwpm.org to sign-up.

Friendly Helpers Needed for Local Residents
NWPM receives ongoing requests for Friendly Helpers to assist with various tasks. Help is needed with light cleaning, laundry, organizing, as well as social visits and simply providing companionship to an isolated neighbor in our community. To get involved call 503-221-1224 ext. 105 or e-mail kelly@nwpm.org

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/

Portable Pantry Premieres

On Monday, March 30th, volunteers and staff delivered and staged food from our warehouse in the reception area of Rosenbaum Plaza, an 80-unit apartment building in downtown Portland for low-income and disabled residents. Most of the residents we served are not able to get to the Pantry on their own, nor would they be able to transport any meaningful supply of food back to their homes. During this event, we helped a number of residents get the food up and into their apartments.
This video provides a little more context of our first Portable Pantry than the slide-show at the bottom of the blog. After volunteers set up the food, they assisted in checking-in residents and helped them with food selection.

Speaking of service, the City of Portland named this facility in 1976 in honor of Fred M. Rosenbaum for his dedication to service in his community. Click here to read more about Mr. Rosenbaum.

Volunteer Just Do It!

It was a busy day for NWPM volunteers on March 30th! While a handful were at Rosenbaum Plaza sharing food to grateful residents, others were busy loading a truck in NE Portland in order to help a disabled woman move to a new home.
When the food distribution at Rosenbaum was done, it became evident that additional manpower would be welcome to unload the woman's belongings at William Temple house in NW Portland. So - off we went ! With the extra help, including from a friendly William Temple house resident, we were done in no time.
Don't mind the old ABBA tune; it just seemed to work with this clip!

Weekend Warehouse Workparty in March!

What: Come help us organize at the food warehouse.
When: Saturday afternoon, March 14th, 2009, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton, a green colored building with a green awning.
To learn more about the warehouse workparties and why they're so important to our Emergency Food Pantry, Backpacks for Kids and Community Share programs, click here and here.
If you’d like to work at the warehouse but can’t make it to a workparty, let us know and we can find a way to schedule something that you can do. Thanks so much!

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

Join NWPM in Participating in National Day of Service January 19, 2009

"It will take ordinary citizens working together with a common purpose to get this country back on track. This national day of service is an important first step in our continuing commitment." - Michelle Obama.



What: Emergency Food Warehouse Workparty
When: Monday, January 19 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: NWPM Warehouse, 2145 NW Overton, Portland, OR 97210

Click here to signup!

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

Thank you, volunteers!

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the warehouse this past Saturday and worked together to pull it together! We are fortunate to have the space to store and sort food for the Emergency Food Pantry, Backpacks for Kids and Community Share programs, and grateful to you for the time and energy you invested there to support these programs.
Whether building shelves, labeling, sorting and storing, cleaning, moving or packing, you made a difference. You built shelves to store canned vegetables. You moved a whole lot of beans, baked goods, pasta, pastries, and more. You unloaded, moved and reloaded a large shelving unit for better accessibility. And you were great self-starters.

(click photos for larger view)
Northwest Portland Ministries has ongoing volunteer opportunities available and will certainly have more work parties. We hope you share your experience with friends and family and encourage them to visit our blog, read our newsletter and become involved.
Thank you again!
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org
(503) 221-1224 ext.105

Warehouse Work Party This Saturday!

Join the work party with service club volunteers from Lincoln High School!

What: We need lots of help this weekend getting organized.
When: Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13th, 2008, 1:30 - 3:30
Where: NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton,

We will be moving shelving & making our spaces more organized. We also expect a food donation on Friday so we'll sort that if we have time (or if some volunteers are needing less physical types of activities).

More Volunteers Welcome!

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

Volunteers Kick-off Community Share Program...

A huge "Thank You!" to the families from Springwater Environmental Charter School and other volunteers who came to NWPM's warehouse on November 18th!
With the energy and enthusiasm of these volunteers, we were able to sort, pack and distribute several boxes of food to many neighbors in need in our community. This effort represented the kick-off of our Community Share Program & Delivery of Community Share Food Boxes to ten locations. (More information about Community Share will be comming soon.)
Watch this quick video of the work "party!"

Please note! We will be doing another NWPM Food Pantry Workparty with service club volunteers from Lincoln High School!
When: Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13th, 2008.
Where: Two locations - (1) NWPM Warehouse at 2145 NW Overton, and (2) NWPM Food Pantry at 1808 NW Irving (First Immanuel Lutheran Church)
More Volunteers Welcome!
Contact:
Kelly Caldwell
Volunteer Manager, Northwest Portland Ministries
Kelly@nwpm.org
(503) 221-1224 ext.105

Beth Israel volunteers pitch in for NWPM

On May 4, more than 260 members of Congregation Beth Israel participated in “Mitzvah Day”—a day of community service. Two of their projects directly benefited Northwest Portland Ministries.
In planning the day’s activities, event chair Carole Barkley, a past president of the NWPM board, enlisted the help of our volunteer coordinator, Kelly Caldwell. “It was really nice to be able to have Kelly involved,” said Carole. “I had no idea how I was going to find enough community projects for that many volunteers on a Sunday!”
With Kelly’s help, ten projects were lined up—among them pulling ivy on trails in Tryon Creek State Park, working in two community gardens, picking up litter in the neighborhood, doing “fix up” at Friendly House Community Center, and holding a food drive to benefit the NWPM emergency food box program.
“The food drive was an obvious choice,” Carole noted, “because Beth Israel is one of the sponsors of the food-box program.” Team leaders Eve Rosenfeld and Jane Netboy passed out grocery bags and flyers after services and set up collection barrels on the synagogue campus. On Mitzvah Day, a team of volunteers sorted and organized food and other grocery items into more than 60 bags and boxes for transport to the food-box pantry.
Meanwhile, another team of volunteers prepared a mailing for NWPM’s annual fund drive. Under Kelly’s direction, they stuffed, labeled, and stamped 900 letters to our organization’s supporters and friends.
At the end of the day, volunteers–some of whom had been transported to and from their work sites via NWPM vehicles—gathered on the synagogue lawn for a party, complete with live music. “This was a good example of how NWPM and a religious congregation can work together to benefit the community,” said Carole. “We plan to do it again!”

Volunteer With Us!

It's easy to become a volunteer with Northwest Portland Ministries. The first step is yours!
Just submit our online application form, or email Kelly at kelly@nwpm.org or call us at (503) 221-1224