"HUNGRY, ANYTHING HELPS"

Cardboard signs abound on many corners in Portland, Oregon. And behind them are invisible people. Some profit handsomely, some take turns working shifts, and many are exploited.  Handing people money rarely solves a problem. The best way to help is to financially support local pantries, shelters, and churches that are set up to serve the public or volunteer your time.

This is an update on consulting work with a church in S.E. Portland. Their initial goal was to launch a community pantry in a diverse neighborhood with higher than average food insecurity.

After nearly a year of probono work, it has been well worth the small investment of time.

The pantry team has doubled in size, and added several community partners. The pantry served 12 families in January. Growth has steadily increased and in the month of September, the pantry served 73 families.

This group is mirroring Jesus's words to feed the hungry. Hunger is what happens when a person doesn't have enough to eat. And it begins to impact a child in school, or a parent at work.

Food insecurity refers to a long list of problems that contribute to hunger-job loss, no high school diploma, loss of housing, no affordable child care and more.

Addressing food insecurity requires building relationships, identifying needs, assessing readiness, community partnerships, financial resources and a huge core of trained volunteers. 

Pantries offer emergency assistance, and give families time to improve their financial circumstances to prevent food insecurity as a way of life.

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Empowering Vulnerable Residents

Portland is a great city unless you are one of people who lack access to life's most basic resources.

Portland ranks high in fitness, number of bicyclists per capita, and number of nonprofits. It also ranks high on best eateries, has a great art community, nice parks and walking trails.

Portland also ranks among the worst for hunger, homelessness, sex trafficking and strip clubs.
The I-5 and I-84 corridors contribute to the problem.

Many small businesses and nonprofits work diligently to help bridge the gap by providing needed funding and resources to help those who need it most. However help does not always reach that population for a variety of reasons.

Athough motorists see many who purport to be homeless it is difficult to determine legitimate need.
Compassion fatigue occurs when nice people get worn out. Others have become jaded because of a bad experience.

Here are a few recommendations to help vulnerable persons improve resilience:
1. Broker cooperative agreements with officials to plant and maintain edible landscape on public lands for public benefit. Allow persons in need to glean or work alongside others to obtain food.
2. Provide neighborhood distribution centers through a designated "caring house" similar to the old block house program in cooperation with the existing neighborhood association. Alternately, many neighborhoods have access to a locked storage unit from which resources could be distributed on set hours and days around the city on a referral or walk-in basis
3. Improve access to free mobile medical and dental clinics to vulnerable populations.
4. Create a safety net within the City through open dialogue and public education and circulate the information to about safe places to businesses, churches, schools and nonprofits.