Hello from Human Solutions!  I sure hope that you and your loved ones are staying healthy. I am writing from my home office, aka volunteer central for Human Solutions J  Those of us who can are still working remotely until it feels safe to return to our offices. Our frontline workers are doing hero’s work in our emergency shelters and other support programs. As the volunteer and donations coordinator for our two emergency shelters

I am writing today for two reasons: 1) to update you on the amazing community support we are seeing in this moment and 2) to share ways for you to plug in if and when you are able. We know not everyone has time right now or can get out. If that’s you, we invite you to help by shopping our Amazon WishLists or making a financial contribution.

We Are So Grateful! Incredible Community Support Happening!

Huge thanks go out from everyone at Human Solutions to all of you who have stepped up to make our programs work and to invest time, energy, and donations of all kinds. You are showing us what it means to build a supportive community where every one of us has an affordable place to call home and the economic autonomy to pursue their dreams. Thank you!

A few awesome things to share:

  • We have been partnering with Blanchet House on the west side to bring hundreds of sack lunches to shelter and affordable housing residents. Here’s a photo of me delivering some to the Gresham Women’s Shelter! We’re grateful to them and all the folks around the region making the lunches. What a community effort!
  • We’re also partnering with the Portland Rescue Mission to prepare hot dinners some nights, which residents love. They also treated both shelters to their mobile food truck last week, rolling in and serving street tacos one night and BBQ the next. Pre COVID they operated the truck as a for-profit business to help fund their programming, but with that business at a standstill they are donating their meals to keep their job training program running.
  • In another important new partnership, we’re working with The Rosewood Initiative and Prosper Portland in a win-win arrangement where government funding is being used to help small, local businesses cook meals for our shelters. East Portland restaurants Chai Thai and Nelly’s Taqueria are feeding nearly 150 shelter residents every Sunday and Monday night through June. The Rosewood Initiative has a GoFundMe to keep the program going once the Prosper funds run out.
  • Folks are sewing us masks! Wow, the sewers in our community are very busy and generous, too! Thank you to all the industrious sewers out there who have reached out and helped us make sure that our staff and program participants have the protection they need to stay healthy right now. Aren’t the rainbow of masks in this photo gorgeous? A local woman made them for us! Building community is beautiful J

Wow, right? Our community is really stepping up right now and it feels so great! Let’s keep it going forever, right? I think we can!

How You Can Help Now: We Still Need You!

I touch base with our shelter managers weekly if not more to see what they need from the community. At the moment, topping their list is:

Lilac Meadows Family Shelter

Gresham Women’s Shelter

  • Hygiene items like shampoo/conditioner, razors, body wash, deodorant, toothpaste
  • Art supplies like colored markers and pencils, art paper for painting, coloring books (adult), other creative supplies (jewelry making, knitting, etc…)
  • New or gently used bath towels
  • Here’s our Amazon Wish List for this shelter.

LearnLinks Kids’ Program (Contact Tonya at tparson@humansolutions.org)

Do you have a license, time and access to a car? We are building a list of volunteer drivers to help us pick up and deliver donated items when needed. Just email or call me and I’ll add you to the list and be happy to answer any questions you have.

We’re also very open to your ideas! Please reach out anytime – some of our best ideas come from you out in the community.  You can reach me three ways:

I look forward to connecting with you soon. It’s really heartening in these times to see our community take care of those impacted hardest by COVID and our inequitable economy and housing markets. Thank you for being part of this community we love and call home.