A Cold Chair

"Hello Pastors
     I'm personally requesting you, the leaders of your local church, to help be The Church. We have an opportunity that I believe God has put in our laps related to "widows and orphans"

    Did you know there are 315 kids a year in Multnomah County (6-7 a week) who have to enter the foster care system because their living situation is unhealthy/unsafe. The average child, when removed from their living situation, sits in one of these county DHS offices for 3 hours in a cold chair waiting while a case worker tries to find a foster family. I can't even imagine the fear, confusion, hurt of that child sitting in that chair. All of these offices have broken furniture, drab colors, etc due to lack of funding and capacity to do anything different....

Faithfully Serving WITH You in Christ, 
Milan Homola
Executive Director-- Compassion Connect INC."


Here is our Opportunity
   The East Portland office of Multnomah County DHS (and all offices in the tri-county region) is open to having local churches partner with it to shine a light in all these very dark situations.
   This is an opportunity to be The Church. God is building a collaboration of churches to be the light of Christ in these hurting kids lives all over the metro area. Milan is asking you to join him in exploring what that might look like at the East Portland Office.

   1. Please join Milan on a tour of the office (122nd and Powell). He is targeting the week of Sept 24th. he only needs an hour of your time. (Please contact Milan if you are a pastor/leader who would join him for that tour)
   

   2. Consider taking another small step and help with a small beautification project at the East Portland Office Nov 10th. This will be The Church serving (not Compassion Connect or any one church) so it can't be done if they don't get 5-6 churches to send about 5-10 people.

Please call Milan at, 507-313-3771 or email him at milan@compassionconnect.com and let him know when you could possibly make a tour and if you would be interested in getting a small group to come work as The Church cleaning, painting, decorating on Nov 10th.

Harvest Share in Gresham

The Harvest Share program is based out of the Oregon Food Bank and provides free and ample produce to the poor.  In East Multnomah County, there are two main locations for Harvest Share: the Rockwood Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Salvation Army, Gresham Corps.  






Here is a description of the Harvest Share program by the Salvation Army:

They come from all walks of life, some who are coming for their first time and some who have been coming for more than 8 years. They come for comradery, for conversation, a warm smile, and of course, their food. The first Wednesday of every month, the family services at The Salvation Army Gresham Corps puts together a Harvest Share program where those struggling financially and in need of food can come and receive food. Harvest Share is actually a service sponsored by Oregon Food Bank and their Fresh Alliance program where fresh produce from local stores is donated and provided to the participating agencies. In addition to the fresh produce like meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit, Salvation Army workers and volunteers gather donated non-perishable food items throughout the course of the month to add to the selection. 

Please read the whole article on the Salvation Army site.

Participate in the Harvest Share program at 

Rockwood Seventh Day Adventist

1910 SE 182nd Ave Gresham

9am 4th Tuesday of every month

       First come first serve

Salvation Army Gresham Corps

473 SE 194th Ave Gresham

9:30am  1st Wednesday of every month

       First come first serve

Two Day Clothing Giveaway

Are you in East Multnomah County? The Chapel on Stark near Mt. Hood College will be having a 2 day giveaway of clothes, especially for kids who can't afford school clothes in Gresham, Troutdale and local cities. 

It will be happening on Friday, August 31 from 3 to 6pm, and Saturday, September 1 from 9am to 12pm. The address is: 27132 Southeast Stark Street Troutdale, OR 97060

Do you have some extra clothes you can pass on to those in need? Please contact them and drop them off! (503) 661-2475

Anyone who drops children's clothes to Anawim this month, we will deliver all of those to The Chapel for this big event.

Free Summer Meals For Kids

Looking to stretch your food budget and find fun activities for your children this summer? Oregon kids and teens (ages 1 - 18) get free summer meals and fun at these locations in East Multnomah County.

Click here for locations: Oregon Summer Meal Sites 2012: Gresham

Anawim Art Studio

In Rockwood, the poorest community in the Portland metro area, there is a place where the poor can go to exercise their creativity and to produce some marvelous works of art.  Twice a week, at the Anawim Art Studio, anyone can come free of charge and paint, draw or color, using a variety of media.

Signature piece by Yvan  Strong

“My aunt was worried I was too isolated but I told her I come here every Wednesday and Saturday for my art lessons. It helps me remember how good I have it.” –Linda who lives alone in her mobile home

 The Studio also has an on-site artist, Yvan Strong, who has been an accomplished artist for 44 years. She guides those who come to improve their art, or to give ideas of how to get started. She has hosted an open art table for the poor for many years and has been teaching art since she was a teen.

 The studio is open on Wednesday from 1 to 4 and Saturdays from 11 to 3 and it is located at Sanctuary, 19626 NE Glisan. Anyone is welcome.

To keep the Art Studio open, we need some supplies and some finances. For more detailed information about the kind of donations the Art Studio needs, please look at the Anawim Web Site.
http://anawimcc.org/anawim-art-studio/

Domestic Violence Support Group for Woman

Invitation to CRAFT: 

Creating Realistic Actions for Transition

Support Groups for Woman Offering the Following Services:

• Referrals to community resources for woman affected by violence in their personal lives.
• Group meetings to learn about intimate partner abuse; the effects of domestic violence on children; the long term effects of domestic violence on all members of the family; healthy family roles; effects of substance abuse, etc.
• Referrals and help with information about restraining orders and safety planning for families.
• Opportunities to share and receive support from woman experiencing similar life experiences.

CRAFT Group

On Tuesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm 

Human Solutions

12350 SE Powell Blvd

Portland Oregon 97236

Please call Teresa Keishi Soto (503) 548-0244

Nadaka Nature Park

 Sometimes we can live near a precious resource and never know it.

My family lived for many years in an apartment building at 177th and Glisan in Rockwood.  There was a park down the road that we would go to, but it was all open grass and playground equipment, so only good for the few days it was sunny but not too hot.  And it was a bit of a walk.

Right across the street from us was an open field with a sign that said, "Authorized vehicles only".  We thought that perhaps the field belonged to the church next door, but the sign was ominous and we thought we weren't allowed in there.  How were we to know that there was a lush, natural area that would have been perfect for our kids any day of the year?

Nadeka Nature Park is the only natural space in North Gresham.  It isn't huge, but once you walk into it, you are transported into a Northwest forest, complete with a variety of birds and wildlife.  The trees offer a natural canopy, and there are many side trails that offer small adventures.

Nadeka used to be a campground, but local neighbors cleaned it up and it is now a Gresham city park that is just perfect for families that are looking for a natural space to play in or explore.  The fact that it is small makes it a benefit for smaller children, because they can't wander off too far.  Yet just walking into that park, you note the air smells fresher and the beauty is just as refreshing.

The local parks are a benefit to the local poor, as well as the rest of the populace.  We should encourage each other to take advantage of them.

Nadeka can be entered from 177th and Glisan (if you walk past the "Authorized Vehicles" sign) or from the other side on Pacific.  Please visit it, it is a hidden treasure.