Project: Open Eyes

Here we find ourselves, a year and a half after we started this organization. It has been an incredible, and life changing, journey. We have had our ups and downs. We have had our highs and lows. Many things have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment and desire to reach out and help those who are in need.

Over the last many years, the news has not been good. Every month we are told about new unemployment numbers. We are told how many homes are in foreclosure. We are told about how many people in America are hurting. We are told how many people are going hungry. About how many people are losing hope, or told that they have no hope at all. It is another Great Depression.

We are also told that the homeless shelters are full. The food banks are empty. People, everywhere, are hurting and there aren’t enough resources to help everyone. There just isn’t enough help to go around. We tend to think otherwise. We think that if we were to band together, as a community, and pool our collective resources, we could literally change the world.

We think we have stumbled upon something so powerful and so awesome, yet it’s almost always overlooked. It’s something that we needed to teach ourselves to do before we could ask anyone else to do it. It’s simple and highly effective and it can change lives forever. Are you ready to hear it? Open your eyes. Take a look around you, your home, your community. Too often, especially when times are so tough or our lives are in upheaval, we tend to put our heads down, put our blinders on and do our best to ride out the coming storm. It’s a normal, human reaction. It’s a survival instinct. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to stop being human or humane to each other just because we are weathering a storm. Even though we are struggling, we can still reach out to those who are in need. No matter how bad times are, we can still offer a little bit of ourselves to save someone else.

Because times are so tough, there are more people than ever that have needs that aren’t being met. The government is stretched too thin and big business doesn’t seem to care. There are so many people out there that just need a little help, a little hope. Maybe you’re one of those people. Here’s a beautiful thing: you still have skills or knowledge that could help another. No matter your situation, there is someone you can reach out to.

Our organization started out being mainly for unemployed people. There were so many “skilled” people out of work that we said “let’s gather up all the unemployed carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc. etc. and get them volunteering in their communities”. And so it began. But, as time went on, we started to see that everyone, no matter their background or experience level, had their own set of unique and invaluable skills. We heard from so many people that said “I would love to help, but I don’t have any skills that would be useful” or “I don’t think I have anything to offer”. This just isn’t true. Every, single person in this country has something to offer someone else.

We have had disabled people offer to help with phone work. We have had young people offer strong legs and backs. We have had elderly people offer their homes for meeting spaces. We have had stay-at-home moms and dads offer to drive volunteers to and from projects. No matter you age, skill level, experience, background, education, ethnicity or gender, you have something to offer. Something that will help a neighbor in need. Something that could change someone’s life. Something that could save someone’s life.

This is not just an idea or an assumption. It truly works. We have seen it work time and time again. We have gathered together complete strangers and, standing as one, pooled our resources and changed people’s lives. It’s amazing and wonderful and you can be a part of it. The one thing that they all had in common? Their eyes were open. You, dear reader, sitting there right now have the power and the opportunity to change someone’s life tomorrow. No matter where you live or what your circumstances are, you can find a way to offer someone a little hope. You have the power to say “enough is enough. Tomorrow my eyes will be open and I will keep them open for all the days to come”.

With open eyes, you can see your world around you. With open eyes, you can see that elderly neighbor that could use a hand with the yard work. With open eyes, you can see that person sitting on the bus that needs someone to talk to. With open eyes, you can see that homeless person that could use a blanket or a hot meal. With open eyes, you can change the way you see this world. With open eyes, you can change someone’s life forever. With open eyes, you can change the world.

Go out into your community and lend a hand. Give an hour or two of your time for a cause you believe in. Donate those old clothes in your closet or that extra food in your cupboard to a homeless or women’s shelter. Drive around on a hot day and hand out cold water to pedestrians. Gather your neighbors and start a community garden. Start an organization just like this one or simply offer a smile to a stranger. No act is too grand or too insignificant. There is no such thing as “too small” a kind act. Do what you can. If every person in the country donated 2 hours a month to help someone in need, how much do you think we could accomplish?

That’s a lot of open eyes.

Seth and Michelle

Time to Refresh!

This post is as much for Michelle and I (Seth) as it is for everyone out there. We started We’ve Got Time to Help over a year ago as a way to get the unemployed masses together and start addressing immediate community service needs. It quickly grew into something we never could have imagined.

We went from hoping to complete a few projects in a year, to being overwhelmed with the amount of people in need for help that exists in our city. Because of the hard economic times this country is experiencing, normal channels for assistance (i.e. agencies that help with food, clothing, rent, volunteers) have been inundated with people calling for help. The agencies resource pools have been stretched too thin and, sometimes, emptied altogether.

We still continue to get calls for help weekly and we continue to help those that we can. We have a great group of volunteers (though, we always welcome more) and they travel throughout the city helping those that have contacted us for help. We have been fortunate enough to help 100’s of people over the last 16 months and we look forward to helping more this year.

The recurring theme in the messages we receive from people that need help is that of hope. Hope. People call us for hope more than they call us for labor, food, or clothing. People call us because they are at, or near, their wit’s end and they don’t know what to do. They have tried going through various channels for help, only to be told that there is not enough to go around. We want to put an end to “not enough”. We believe we can.

Hope is an amazing thing. People call us with tales of hunger, home loss, job loss, personal loss, and myriad difficulties. But, most still have hope. Hope that things will change. Hope that times will get better. Hope that their situation will get better. Hope that someone still cares. And if someone calls us that seems to have lost their hope, we do our best to give them a little. We tell them that we will do everything in our power to help them. We will not walk away from them. We will stand by them in their darkest hour. If people feel that there is even the slightest glimmer of hope, a little sliver far off in the distance, they can keep going. It’s the ones that have lost all hope, that don’t seem to have the energy to keep pushing on.

So, my friends, let’s get reenergized! Let’s set out, every day, to help someone in need. Friends, neighbors, strangers. It doesn’t matter how small or grand the gesture. It matters not what the circumstances are. It doesn’t matter to whom you lend a hand. What matters is that you are keeping hope alive. You are saying “I will not let anyone around me lose hope”. I will fight the good fight. I will be strong when others cannot be. I will pay it forward. I will stand for all that is good and right and say “not on my watch”.

Join us?

Take care and good luck,
Seth and Michelle

We've still Got Time to Help!

As a lot of you know, I (Seth) was laid off 15 months ago and, just like millions of others, haven't been able to find work since. We have struggled financially for over a year now and the situation was becoming more bleak by the day.

So, after much deliberation and planning, we have decided to open our own business. It just seemed like the right time and the right thing to do. I don't know how many of you know, but Michelle and I are bird watchers. We have been feeding and watching birds for many years now. We have also been making our own suet (a type of food for birds) for years. We have spent the last few months perfecting our recipe and finding suppliers, getting licences, setting up a website (NePo Suet Company), etc. etc. We are now set up and selling our suet online and in a couple of stores in Portland. We have received a lot of orders from all over the country and business is picking up every day. We feel very lucky to have this up and running.

The reason for us writing this post it to make sure that people still know we are around. Yes, we are still here. We are still helping people on a regular basis. We just haven't been very good about posting lately. We have had many smaller projects going on over the last couple of months, just nothing on a large scale. There are some projects coming up in the not so distant future that will be on a fairly large scale.

There will soon be a community revitalizing project going on in a NE neighborhood that will need a lot of support and as many neighbors as we can get to help. As soon as we get some more info, we will let everyone know the details. It should be a very fun and worthwhile project!

So, thank you to everyone who continues to help their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who helps to make our community a better place to live. Thank you to everyone that lends a hand to someone that is needs. Thank you to everyone to who continues to spread hope.

Seth and Michelle

Meet and Greet

We are having our first meet and greet of the year on Wed., Jan. 27th from 11am - 2pm. If you haven't attended one before please stop by, even if it's for just a short while, and introduce yourself. If you have been before, please stop by again and share your ideas about how we can make a bigger impact in our community this year.

We are open to any ideas people may have on how we can all get more involved, start new community projects, or just be better neighbors.

So, if you Have the Time, please come by and let's make Portland an even better place to live!

Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com for our address. Thanks so much and we hope to see you all there!

Seth and Michelle

Some little things you can try...

Hey all! We hope and wish that everyone is having a good start to the Christmas season.

I don't think that we need to remind anyone that this has been a really rough year for a lot of people. The worst year in a lot of people's lives. Many people out there don't even have the basics. Even though I have been unemployed for a year now, we are still very blessed. We have each other, our home, our animals, food, clothes, heat. We have everything we need and more.

Other's are not so fortunate. 1000's of people, in Oregon alone, have lost their jobs and homes. Many feel alone and without hope. All they want for Christmas is to feel safe and warm. To feel that there are people out there who care about them and their families. To feel a little hope. As friends, neighbors, and strangers we can, in this season of giving, tell them in no uncertain terms that YES, we do care. To remind them that we are here for them, as we hope they would be for us. Those of us with an abundance can share with those who are going without. We can remake this world as it should be.

Here are just a few things that Michelle and I are doing to try and help those in need. These suggestions go for anyone that you know or see that needs help. Perhaps a neighbor who lost their job and is struggling, or a family member who needs a little help. That homeless person that you drive by everyday on your way to work. A co-worker that you know has fallen on rough times. They all are deserving and they all could use some compassion. And, if you think that the donation might be embarrassing for the person (especially a neighbor or co-worker), leave a bag of clothes or food on their doorstep or on their desk when they are away. It's so very hard to ask for help, but it is so very appreciated when it comes. Here are a few ideas:

Cleaning out the closets. Grab any socks, hats, gloves, jackets, pants, shirts, etc. that you don't use anymore. Put them in bags in the back of your car. Anytime you see someone on the street that looks cold or wet or under dressed, pull over and offer them some clothes. We promise they will be more thankful than you can imagine.

Clean out your pantry. You know those boxes and cans of food that sit in your cupboard month after month? Pull them out and offer them to someone who needs some food. Again, this could be a friend, relative, neighbor or even a stranger. If you don't know anyone that could use the food or if you are uncomfortable handing it out, please donate your extra food to a food bank. There are tons of them in the area. Here's a link to a list of food donation places in the Portland area.

If you know of someone that is having a really rough year or someone who might spend the holiday alone, invite them to your home for Christmas. Nothing could be more about the spirit of the holidays than sharing your home with someone who doesn't have a place to go. It's a pretty cool feeling!

Maybe you just cleaned out your closets and you don't really have any "extra" food in the pantry. You can always take a few extra dollars (if you have them) and go shopping for food, clothes or toys to donate. To make your dollar really stretch, try shopping at places like the Grocery Outlet or another bargain store. Or maybe stop by a second hand store and pick up some clothes or toys to give away. For people that have nothing, even second hand is a tremendous gift.

Donate new or used dog/cat food and toys to a local pet shelter (or again, to someone you know that might be struggling). We donate a lot of doggy items and food to F.I.D.O (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach). Here's a link to their wish list this year (Click here). Or, another great program to donate to is the Feral Cat Coalition. Of course there are many other great animal shelters that could use some help.

Another great way to help people is, obviously, to volunteer your time. This time of year is a great chance for families to volunteer together. A local food bank or soup kitchen is a great reminder for people (especially children) to truly appreciate everything that they have in their lives. It really makes an impression on you when you see another human being that has absolutely nothing. And of course this year, there are more people than ever in the food bank and soup kitchen lines.

And the last suggestion is just a little one. It's something that we have done over the past few years, and it's effects are quite remarkable. Next time you are at the grocery store, pick up a box or bag of small candy canes (or full size candy canes, if you prefer). Keep them on you at all time throughout the month. Every time you are out and about (i.e. grocery or gift shopping) take a look around you and see who looks like they could use a smile. Walk over to that person, hand them a candy cane and tell them "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" or whatever you wish to say. It really is amazing how many people stop and smile. Okay, at first, they might look at you like you're a little bonkers but then they take the candy cane, smile and walk away a little happier than they were before you walked over to them. It's a blast.

There are so many ways to spread hope. Gifts and toys are wonderful, but if you can actually give someone a little hope, it's worth all the toys in Santa's sleigh.

Our Own Two Hands

Earlier this week, we were contacted by an organization called Our Own Two Hands. They wrote us an email stating that they had seen and heard of the work we were doing in the community and wanted to help us with our causes. The email then stated that they were donating $500 to the group to use how ever we see fit.

Now, we have to admit, at first we were a little skeptical. We looked up their organization and did some Googling on their board members. Everything looked legitimate, so we emailed them back with our address.

Sure enough, in yesterday's mail, there was the check. We couldn't believe it. What an amazingly generous action from these wonderful people! There are a couple of projects that have been on hold because of the lack of funds. But this changes everything!

A great big THANK YOU to the board of Our Own Two Hands for voting to donate some much needed money. There is no way to express our gratitude to them! Here is a link to the list of the Board of Directors who made this all possible. Please check them out.

We also wanted to give a big THANK YOU to whomever submitted our name to them for review.

Please take a look at their site here Our Own Two Hands and support them in any way that you can!

Share your stories

Over the last couple of months, and especially since the Guidepost article came out, we have been keeping really busy. There are lots of big and small projects going on that have needed a lot of attention. We can always use more help, if you've got time.

There are so many good things going on during these dark times, but they are hard to see sometimes. It's hard to see and find the wonderful things going on when everyday is a struggle just to survive and to put food on your table.

We have met so many amazing people over the last many months and heard so many inspiring stories. It has been such a privilege to work side-by-side with everyone. To see strangers helping each other in their greatest time of need. We are lucky enough to get to see and hear these stories everyday.

What we would love to do is to share real-life stories with as many people as possible. The more hope you can see and hear, the more hope you take with you.

So please, share with us your stories of hope and caring. Tell us your story of lending someone a hand. Or, share with us a story of someone you saw giving selflessly. Let us know about the good things that you see going on around you.

The stories are there, sometimes you just have to be ready to see it.

Good luck and we can't wait to hear from you.

A little story...

This story is not about Michelle and I (Seth). It is not meant to be a self-congratulatory anecdote. It is meant to illustrate how easy it is to not help someone in need. How easy it is to ignore those around us.

Last night, Michelle and I ran up to Safeway to get some items for dinner. We were both hungry and tired from the day and we were being pretty grumpy. The store was very busy and noisy, which didn't help our mood at all. After waiting in line for what seemed like 20 minutes, we finally checked out and left through the big double doors.

As we exited the building, our arms were overloaded with bags of groceries and 3 cases of soda. We hadn't grabbed a cart when we went in, so we just decided to lug the groceries out to the car. On our way out, we were approached by 2 disheveled looking women. The younger (teenager) of the two women asked us if we had a quarter. Michelle and I both said "no, sorry. We don't have any change". We then proceeded to the car.

As we approached the car, Michelle asked me if I heard what the young woman said after we walked away. I said no, I hadn't. Apparently, when we said "no" and walked away, the young girl had said "Oh no, mom. What do we do now"? We both felt a large pang of guilt. At the car, Michelle dug through her purse to get some change. We turned around in time to see 2 men, giving them some change. We looked at each other, wondering what to do next, and slowly climbed into the car. As we drove towards home, Michelle started to cry. I asked her what was wrong, and she stated that we were very callous to just say no and walk away from the women. After talking about it for another minute or so, we turned the car around and headed back to see if we could help in any way.

We pulled up to the store again and found the women at a telephone booth, trying to place a call. We slowly walked up to them and said "excuse me". They turned around, we noticed that they weren't disheveled at all. In fact, it was just an awkward teenager and her mom. They looked completely "normal". In our grumpy mood and our haste to get home, we had seen something that wasn't really there at all. We saw what we expected to see from a couple of people begging money outside a store. I believe it was Henry David Thoreau who said, "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake..." No words have ever been more true.

As we approached, they turned to greet us. Michelle held out a handful of change to the mom. She graciously took the gift and said, very genuinely, "thank you"! We then asked her if there was anything that we could do to help them. She said "we were just evicted a couple of days ago, and we are trying to call someone who can wire us some money". Michelle and I both started crying. We told her how sorry we were for walking by. How sorry we were that we didn't stop and offer help before. We gave them our phone number and told then to call for any reason. We told her that we had some extra food they could have, a computer and phone that they could use, or just a place to rest if they needed it. We told them again how very sorry we were and how sorry we were that they were in such an awful situation.

As we drove back home, still crying, Michelle reminded me that we had an extra Rose City Resource Guide (www.rosecityresource.org) at home. It's a great little booklet of community and city resources for those in need. They work in conjunction with 211.org. As soon as we got home, I rushed in and grabbed one of the booklets. We then went back to the store and gave them the guide. Once again, they thanked us and gave us very warm and bright smiles.

This young family will probably never call. We will probably never see them again. Hopefully, they got some money together and are on their way to a safe place. The point is not that we helped them, it's that they helped us. This young mother and daughter have changed our lives. It opened our eyes. Eyes that had begun to close without either of us noticing. As Michelle so eloquently stated "Everyone (meaning us) needs a good kick in the teeth sometimes". I couldn't agree more.

As we returned home, we cried in silence. We were thinking about how cold and callous we were during our first encounter with these lost souls. About how we were not practicing what we preach. We tell everyone we know to stop and help those in need. We tell people to stop making excuses and to just lend a hand. And yet here we were, willing to walk right by someone that had asked us for a measly quarter.

Asked for a little help.

Asked for a little hope.

Marketplace story on American Public Media

Here is a link to the show we were a quick guest on concerning unemployment on American Public Media's show, Marketplace:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/02/mm-discouragedworkers/

Just click on listen to the show button.

Trying to change the way we think

One of the first things that we talked about when we started this group earlier this year was attempting to change they way we all look at different situations and how we view this world. Not only would we be able to help others in need with things like home repair, but maybe also help people see this new world in a new light.

If we could all just slow our pace down a little and take time to notice our neighbors around us, we think this could be a much better place to live. We have really tried to change the way we think. Noticing the homeless person that needs some food, a neighbor that needs a hand with some yard work or even a complete stranger that just looks like they could use a kind word. Before we started this group, we never saw these things. We were too caught up in out own lives to even notice those around us. Now, after working on it, we seem to have a completely new set of eyeballs. They see things that they never saw before. We are paying attention.

There is no feeling in the world like being able to help someone that needs it. Whether it's something big or just a little gesture, it all makes you feel connected.

It's so easy to pass by someone and not even give them a second glance. Next time you see someone who looks like they could use a hand, please stop and take just a minute or two to offer your help. It's a very scary thing to do for a lot of people (including Michelle and I). To step out of your "comfort zone" and go up to a complete stranger and offer help. Sometimes we still have to physically stop walking, turn around and go back to the person.

Here's a few actual excuses that we (Michelle and Seth) have used in the past:

"Oh, we're really busy" or "we need to get to the next place we're going"
"They probably don't need help"
"They look too upset to talk to right now"
"I'm sure someone is coming to help them"
"They have probably already called someone"
"We shouldn't get involved"
"It looks too personal"
"I can't help them" or "I wouldn't know how to help"
"I don't want to embarrass them" or "I don't want to be embarrassed"

There are many, many other excuses that we have used in the past not to help someone. Usually, it all stems from fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of doing or saying something wrong. The only fear that we should really have is the fear of walking away from someone that needs help.

Any electricians have time?

We have had 2 requests this week for electricians for 2 separate projects. Unlike normal, these are paying jobs and we would love to be able to help some folks out and put a couple of people to work.

If yo have the time and knowledge, we would love to hear from you! Please just email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com to let us know that you can lend a hand.

Also, we just received a request from someone that needs help putting up a small fence (roughly 15ft) between their home and their neighbor. They have offered a small payment to anyone that can help out. Got time?

Thanks for all you do,
Seth and Michelle

OPB's Think Out Loud - Tuesday Sept. 15th at 9am

After posting a few days ago about what has been going on with Michelle and I over the last few months, and my (Seth) struggles with alcoholism and depression, we have received such wonderful support and amazingly kind words from friends and strangers alike. Thank you to everyone who wrote us and we are still going strong.

The reason for this post is that we were contacted by Sarah Rothenflutch, from OPB's "Think Out Loud" (www.opb.org/thinkoutloud) radio program. She wanted to see how WGTTH was going and to see if we wanted to be on the program again, this time talking a lot more about long-term unemployment and the toll that it takes on people and households.

We agreed to be on and it will air at 9am this coming Tuesday. You can listen online or at 91.5 FM. We are encouraging everyone to listen. Not because we will be on the show, but because there are so many of us in the same boat and there is strength in numbers.

If you know someone who is un/under employed and they are battling with depression or substance abuse, or if they just aren't sure how to deal with their struggles, please have them listen so maybe they will understand that they are not alone. We are all in this together and we will be here to support anyone who is going through rough times.

Thank you again to everyone and we hope to see out out and about in the neighborhood.

As always, please feel free to write us with any questions or comments.

Take care,
Seth and Michelle

Starting Fresh

Welcome to everyone stopping by. We hope that you are here because you have a willingness and a need to try and make our communities better places to live.

I (Seth) have to apologize for not keeping this movement rolling forward. We were going so strong for so long and then, for myriad reasons, I settled into a pretty nasty bout of depression and, honestly, my alcoholism took over.

I have struggled with alcoholism for many, many years now. My propensity for drinking, coupled with the fact that I have been unable to find a job for 9 months, sent me spiraling downward. I lost the ability to act on anything. It was a major struggle just to get out of bed in the morning.

I, with a world of help from Michelle (thank you, sweetheart), am starting to turn things around now. Between medication and counseling, I am feeling great and getting stronger everyday. I am ready to restart this movement and get things rolling again.

Again, I apologize if I let anyone down. I hope that I can start to make a difference again.

Over the next few days, we will be updating our project list and will also be sending out emails to our volunteers (read: neighbors) so that we can get moving on some projects. Please let us know if you can help or if you know of any projects that we could get involved with.

I struggled with whether or not to talk about my problems on here. I thought about it for some time. I finally decided to, partially, in hopes that it may help someone else if they are going down a similar road. None of us are immune to having problems and it's good to remind yourself of that every now and then. We are all human and very prone to not always making the right decisions.

Please feel free to write us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com with any questions you have or to sign up for our email updates. We will be sending out some emails in the next few days describing some new projects and updates on others.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to help their neighbors and have done all they can to help their communities.

Take care and we hope to see you all soon!

Seth and Michelle

Welcome to the Sun!

Hello to all! We hope that everyone is doing great and staying nice and cool! It is sweltering here in Portland. Possibly above 100 degrees over the next 4 days. Gross!! We feel like we have moved from NE PDX to the surface of the Sun!

Onto happier things, though.

First of all, we are having our monthly meet and greet at our home on August 5th, from 11am-2pm. We would love for everyone to attend. We know that some of you have jobs and other commitments, but we would love a home full of our neighbors!

Changing gears a bit, Michelle and I went to the store yesterday (Michelle's idea) and purchased 2 cases of bottled water ($6 for both) and a couple of bags of ice. Then, we put a cooler full of the water and ice in the car so that when we see someone walking down the street that could use some help cooling off, we can give them a nice, cold water. We have a lot of homeless and near-homeless people in the city and we're sure they could use some water during these HOT days. Or, if you just see someone that looks overheated, you can hand them something to help cool them down. It's a great gesture and, believe us, makes you feel really good! We have also printed off (from our home computer) a list of cooling centers around the city to hand out to people that could use them.

Next item, we have been really busy lately with a ton of small projects. Lots of little things and quick-fixes. That being said, we have quite a few bigger projects on the table and we could sure use some help. Please email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com if you have some time to help out a neighbor or two.

Can anyone come up with some other ideas for helping out our fellow neighbors? Ways to help cool them off? Let us know and we can put it into action! For instance, we had an extra air conditioner, and we offered it to our next door neighbors since they didn't have one. Every little bit helps. Let us know what you have been doing to help others in need!


And another big THANK YOU to everyone that has gone out on projects this month! It has been hot, muggy and demanding, but you have stepped up and said "I will help my neighbors, no matter what"! You are all amazing people and wonderful neighbors!!

We hope to see a lot of you at the meet and greet and we wish everyone the best during these hot and trying times. Please remember, every little thing you can do for someone else, makes you feel immensely better about yourself! If we could all be there to help each other, then this would be a pretty cool, little rock that we live on.

Take care and see you soon,

Seth and Michelle

Waterfront Blues Festival 2009 (it was hot)

Yesterday, a large group of volunteers, both from Providence Health Plans and We've Got Time to Help, headed down to the waterfront to help out with the opening day of the Blues Festival. There were 12 of us total and we had an awesome time!

The suggested donation for entry was $10 and 2 cans of food. The Oregon Food Bank is going to be the recipient of all the good will. I can't tell you how many pallets of food and how much money was taken in yesterday, but it was a lot! Quite a few people donated much more than the suggested amounts, both food and money. It was great to see so many people giving so much!

The Festival is still going on today, tomorrow and Sunday, so if you like great music, good food and tasty beer, head on down to the waterfront and don't forget to bring some food for the food bank!

It was the hottest day of the year, but luckily, most of it was spent underneath one of the tents. It was still HOT, though. Here are a few photos from the day.

The main gate where our group was stationed.


Terrance was the life of the party and we couldn't have been happier to have him with us!


Here is David (left) taping up one of the thousands of boxes of donated food, Michele (a newcomer to WGGTH, on the phone) with a people counter in her hand, and Terrance peaking out from behind another volunteer from different group (notice, Terrance is still smiling!).

This photo is of Susan (far left) taking the donation money from visitors, unidentified Hat Man, Charity and Lucas, Jake, and Shanna. Jake was from another group but he was a big help to everyone.

These smiling faces are Donna and her daughter, Katie.

Here is (our) Michelle taking a bag of donated goods to the tent. As she would like me to remind everyone, it was 95 degrees and she had been on the job for a few hours at this point. I still think she is beautiful!

Here is Sam at the benefactor tent. She had an awesome view and she was close to the music, so Sam was one happy woman!

Thank you to everyone who showed up yesterday! It was a great time for a great cause! Hope to see you all soon!

p.s. Did we mention it was hot??

Seth and Michelle (glad to be locked in one small room of the house with a window AC unit)

Gorge Falls Fest

Every year, the weekend after Father's Day, Multnomah Falls puts on an event called the Gorge Falls Fest. Aaron P., the on site manager for the Forest Service and one of WGTTH's first volunteers, was kind enough to offer us a booth at the event.

Michelle and I were there both Saturday and Sunday from 9am until close. One other volunteer, Mel, came up for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon.

It was a busy weekend with thousands of people coming to the Falls. We talked with hundreds of people that were interested in what WGTTH is about. We handed out a lot of fliers and information about our group. We also handed out tons of the Portland Upside's newest issue.

People were really receptive and gave us a lot of positive feedback. Information about WGTTH is going everywhere from Florida to Italy! How cool is that? Others said that they have heard about us and were interested in becoming a volunteer.

Hopefully, we made a positive difference in some lives. Maybe some of these people will go back home and become even better neighbors than they are right now!

We are already looking forward to next year's event!

Waterfront Blues Festival

Today, a group of us are going down to volunteer at the front gate at the Blues Festival on the waterfront. Any and everyone is more than welcome to come down and say hi and listen to some great music. We have enough volunteers but we would love see anyone who wants to come down.

We will be there from 3:30-6:30pm tonight and we are really looking forward to it!

On a side note, we apologize profusely for not posting very much as of late. We have been busier than we ever thought possible and we never seem to have enough time to post on the blog.

So, here are a few updates.

We still would love to have some people take over as "project managers" for a project or two. If you would be willing to just be the contact person/scheduler for any project you like, just email us and we will give you all the info you need. Thanks in advance!

This last weekend, we were at Multnomah Falls for their annual Gorge Falls fest event. A big thank you to Aaron Pedersen, the on site manager for the Forest Service at the falls, for helping us get in the event and for getting us some much needed coffee! Thanks Aaron!! It was a great turn out and we talked with hundreds of people during the 2 day event. Also, a big thank you to Mel, who volunteered his Saturday afternoon at the booth. Hopefully, we reached some people and they will go back to their home state and start paying it forward a little!

We still have plenty of projects available for those who want to help. We will be sending a more complete update to everyone in the next day or two and get this blog caught up to where it should be.

Thank you again to everyone who has been out there "neighboring" and keep up the awesome work!!

Seth and Michelle

The next 2 projects!

This Thursday (the 28th) and Friday (the 29th) there are two bigger project going on that we need a lot of help with. First, Thursday is the Extreme Yard Makeover in SE Portland. We will be out there starting at 10am and going until the late afternoon. We have all the materials we need at the site, but we need people, people, people!

The project after that is the next day, Friday, and we will be help a woman in need move from Vancouver to NE Portland. She is renting a large U-Haul, but she definitely could use some help with loading and unloading the truck. It would be great to get 5 or 6 people for the move. The more people we get, the quicker it will go.

Please feel free to call us at 503-953-6018 or email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com to sign up for one (or both) of these projects! Thank you!!

Extreme Yard Makeover on Thursday

Well, the 4th (and final?) installment of the Extreme Yard Makeover is happening this Thursday the 14th. Here is just one of the before and after photos from the work done so far.

Front yard before...


...and after.


Pretty dramatic change, huh? That being said, there is still some work to be done. Here's a list of what needs to happen before we can complete this project:

Concrete pieces laid down for a pathway (we have the concrete pieces)
Small concrete wall erected for the herb garden (we have the concrete pieces)
Arbor built for the backyard (we have the lumber for it)
White picket fence scraped and painted (we have the paint and brushes)
White picket fence reinforced
White picket fence gate re-hung
Gravel laid down in between the concrete pieces for the walkway (we still need the gravel)

Like we said, there still some work to do but we should be able to get a lot of it finished on Thursday. There are no special skills needed for this project, just a willingness to get your hands a little dirty!

So please, if you have some time to give on Thursday to help out a neighbor, come on down and lend a hand. Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com for the address if you can make it!

Busy, busy, busy

There are a lot of events and projects coming up this month, so please take a few minutes to look at everything that is going on. We will get right to it!

1) The Portland Upside debuts this Friday, May 8th. The creators of the newspaper, Rob and Sara, are looking for some help distributing the 10,000 printed copies all around town. If you can take a few copies to your local neighborhood hangout, or you are willing to drive around town and drop off a lot of copies to different places, that would be great. Just email Michelle and I or contact the Portland Upside directly at portland.upside@gmail.com

2) There is an East Portland Neighborhood Association Annual Clean-up event this Saturday, May 9th, going from 9am-1pm. The event is happening in the Albertson's parking lot on NE 122nd and Halsey. They need some volunteers to help with the event and it's also a great way to get rid of anything just lying around your house. They are accepting: Yard Debris; Wood; Metal; Bicycles. It is $10 per car load and $20 per truck load. Proceeds will be put right back into the local neighborhoods. Let us know if you can make it!

3) Another May 9th project is being put together by F.I.D.O. (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach). They are a wonderful organization who help not only Clackamas County residents, but anyone in the Portland Metro area. They are looking for volunteers to join them at the new shelter for a "Landscape Beautification Party"! Rain or shine, from 10 am until ??
Diana Hallmark is offering sneak preview tours of the new facility as well as hot dogs, hamburgers (and veggie burgers), soda and water. They will be planting and digging and generally playing in the mud, so bring gloves, shovels and other tools as appropriate (knee pads?). Please dress for the weather and plan to have a fun day working and getting to know more about FIDO & meeting other volunteers.

They have several other projects they would like to complete, if they can get enough volunteers.
Also, if you have a wheel barrow that you can bring, that would be great. They hope to be moving gravel and creating a pathway or two. Just let us know if you can make it. It really is a terrific cause!

4) Also on Saturday, May 9th there is a benefit auction for Rose Haven, a women's and children's shelter. They need 2-3 volunteers to help with the event on Saturday night, between 4pm - 10:00pm. There will be food for the volunteers as well as raffle prizes, and everyone will get to enjoy the entertainment as well. Please contact Ellen at 503 784-6192 if you can help!

5) One of our volunteers is the lead singer in a band called The Augmentors. She and her band are having their first Portland show on Sunday, May 10th starting at 9pm. The venue is the Mississippi Pizza Pub at 3552 N. Mississippi. We would love to get a big group of us down there to see her show and to support her. It should be a lot of fun! Think you can make it?

6) On Wednesday, May 20th, we will be hosting our next Meet and Greet here at our home. We would love for everyone to be able to attend. The meet and greet will be from 11am-3pm. Just let us know if you can make it! Let's make this the best meet and greet yet!

7) We have had a few professionals donate some services to our volunteers. First is Ario with Unbound Bodywork and Massage. He has offered to give 2 or 3 free massages, per week, to We've Got Time to Help volunteers that go out on any projects! How cool is that? You can contact him directly and let him know that you would like to set up an appointment. His contact info is: Phone: 503 841 2556 and email: ariolynch@gmail.com

Also, Peter Chee of Peter Chee Photography, has offered to take photos/head shots of any of our volunteers who need them for job hunting or attaching to resumes (again, for free). You can email Peter at peter@petercheephotography.com to set up a time to have your photo(s) taken. Anything to help in these slow economic times!

We also have a licenced counselor who is willing to speak with people that need someone to talk to. Please email Jennifer at jenniferblakecounseling@gmail.com and let her know what you need. What a tremendous and generous offer from Jennifer.

8) We have added a few new projects and we could sure use quite a few volunteers for a whole host of Projects coming up. You can take a look at the Project Page to see if there is something that you can help with. There is everything from gardening to construction to driving. Please see if you have a few extra hours in your week to help out some of these wonderful people!

We've had a few Projects sitting on the table for a while and Michelle and I have been trying to get to them all, but we need some help. Just email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com to let us know what you can help with.

And last, but certainly not anywhere near least, we are going to start a Monthly Volunteer Day where will be going to one of our volunteers homes and giving them a hand with anything they need help with. We have our first nominee for May (we are keeping it a secret, though) and we will be sending out information as the day draws closer. So neighbors, start thinking about what you would like or need to get done around your home and let us know. This will be a small way to give back to all of you that have donated your time, energy and ideas to those in need!

Thank you to all!

Contact us for any reason at wevegottimetohelp@q.com