We forgot to post a huge thank you to everyone that donated items for the family in need. A few days before Christmas, Michelle and I took all of the clothes, household items, and food to the family. It was a big surprise for them and a very uplifting experience for us. We had to make multiple trips out to the car because there were so many items!
Thank you to everyone that donated items and goods to them! Margena, Mel, Rachael, Michelle, and quite a few anonymous donors. Thank you to everyone!
This is kind of a long post, but please take a few minutes to read through it. It is so very important.
Last night, Michelle and I dropped off bags full of gloves, scarves, and hats at the Human Solutions Warming Center in NE Portland. We have become familiar with warming centers in the area ever since last winter's Arctic blast came through in mid-December.
This year there are more homeless people than ever before, at least in our lifetime. They are scared, cold, hungry, and losing hope quickly. Entire families have been displaced because of job loss, mounting bills, and the economy in general. Just a couple of years ago, these same families had "normal" lives. They had hopes and dreams. They had aspirations and plans for the future. Now, they wonder where their next meal is coming from and where they and their children will sleep tonight. It's a truly awful and desperate situation. But, this is an area that we can make a big difference. Here's a link to the impact that Human Solutions was able to make last year.
As we were dropping the items off at the warming center last night, the coordinator for the center, Blanchette, asked if Michelle and I would like a tour. We said we would and she showed us their facility. The top floor of the center, is wall-to-wall cots. They can legally house 60 people there every night. Once the center is full, they have to turn people away at the door, sometimes giving them jackets or blankets for the cold night ahead. The people there ranged from single men and women to 4 or 5 person families, some with very young children. There is a kitchenette area with a small refrigerator, a few cupboards and a microwave. There really isn't a place (or hardware) for people to prepare meals, so there are a lot of cup-o-soups and nutrition bars.
She then led us downstairs where they have a makeshift storage area. Here is where they keep some extra clothes and food to hand out to those in need. Sometimes, in very harsh weather, they will use the basement as an overflow area. People aren't allowed to sleep downstairs (fire code), but at least they can get out of the elements for a short time.
We then spoke to her at length about what the center needs to be the most effective. Keep in mind that the age ranges from newborn to adult. Here is a list of some of the items we talked with her about:
Clothing- Especially socks and hoodies. Backpacks are another much needed item. Of course, any type of clothing will help someone. They just had a local bakery donate 200 coats of all sizes, so there are doing okay for now on jackets. Other than that, anything will help.
Food- Food that doesn't take much (or any) prep is great for them. They mentioned cup-o-soups, energy bars, fruit, etc. etc. Breakfast items that children can eat on the way to school is another big need for them. Here's a link to a wish list that they have.
Christmas decorations- This might not seem like a "need" but we think it might be more needed than a lot of things. They have no holiday decorations at all. They would like to be able to put up lights and other decorations, if for no other reason, to lift every one's spirits for a day or two.
We also spoke about how volunteers can help. Here are just a few of the ways Blanchette mentioned:
1) Someone with the time and supplies to come down to the warming center and help make some old-school Christmas decorations. Paper chains and snow flakes that the children can make and hang around the warming center.
2) Anyone willing to transport people to another shelter. When they have to turn someone away or when a family is moving to another, more long term, shelter, they would love for someone to be able to take them, instead of just giving them the address and making them find their own way there.
3) Perhaps someone could come into the center and read stories to everyone, especially the children. Or maybe just bring some general crafts for everyone to enjoy. Anything to let these people know that they have not been forgotten by society.
4) Any person, or group, willing to bring hot or prepared meals for everyone would be more appreciated than you know. They had a group from a local business office bring in an entire Thanksgiving meal for people staying at the shelter. Soups, stews, chilis or even sandwiches would be a welcomed sight at the center.
5) Something else Blanchette mentioned was perhaps getting stockings for everyone for Christmas and filling them with fruit, candy, gift cards. The families staying at the center don't have any type of storage area, so they have to take everything with them when the leave the shelter every day.
6) Just general, everyday volunteering. Their dream is for someone to show up and say "put me where you need me". Anyone with a little time is more than welcome to stop by the center to lend a hand.
These are just a few of the ways we can help out. If you are at all interested in volunteering at, or donating to the center, please call Blanchette at 503-810-1352. The hours for dropping off donated items is 7pm-10pm ever day, but I'm sure they would accommodate for your schedule.
Again, we think this is a wonderful organization and they are truly making a real impact in our community. Please try to lend a hand to them this year.
Thank you to everyone and we hope to see you all soon!
We received a call from a woman who had been following our blog for a while. Deb and her husband, Jeff, were in the process of moving and had some extra things they no longer needed. Instead of donating them to a local charity where they could receive a tax write off they offered them to us to help with projects. They believed in what we are doing and wanted to help us continue the good work. Jeff even dropped the items off at our house. They donated painting supplies, yard tools and other miscellaneous construction items that will definitely make continuing to do what we do easier in the future.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to Deb and Jeff!! We were overwhelmed with your generosity and it just shows us time and time again, how many good people there are in the world.
Thank you so much and we wish you the best on your next stage in life.
It's ironic, I suppose, that Michelle and I (Seth) have been avoiding, at all costs, asking directly for help for us. We tell people to call or write us if they need help. We extoll the virtues of asking for help and counting on us and all of our neighbors to help meet your needs. We firmly believe that everyone should feel comfortable in asking for help from neighbors, both known and unknown. And yet, we put it off asking for help for a million reasons. Fear. Doubt. Frustration. I guess it's time that we practice what we preach. We have a link of the sidebar that says that if you would like to donate items, please contact us, but we haven't ever created a post about it.
Please understand and believe us when we say any donations we get will go directly to We've Got Time to Help projects and we are not asking for personal gain. That is not who we are or what we are about.
So, here's the deal. We need lots of tools, equipment and other various items, so that we can continue to help everyone that asks. We were hoping not to do this but the times we are living in make it necessary. Michelle and I (Seth) are asking for donations of any kind and we have put up a "wish list" for our community organization.
Everyday, we are getting more and more requests for help, and we find ourselves in need of items that Michelle and I can no longer afford to purchase or rent on our own.
Some of the items on our wish list are big items. We understand. But, it can't hurt to ask. Maybe someone doesn't have a need for it anymore and wants for the item to go to good use. We have been able to do so much good already, and we will continue to do so even if we don't get a single donation. We will always do whatever we can to help others in need.
Also, please know that we have done (and will continue to do) everything we can to raise money. Odd jobs, sold personal items on craigslist, selling homemade bird food, and we use any extra income (from Michelle's job) for We've Got Time to Help. We are trying our very best.
Here is our wish list:
Painting supplies - Paint Brushes, Rollers, scrapers, tape, etc.
Yard/Garden tools - Gloves, shovels, rakes, hoes, trowels, pruners/loppers, etc.
Drywall tools - Mesh tape dispensers, joint knives, taping knives, trowels, etc.
Plumbing tools -Wrenches, auger/snake, pipe cutter, etc.
General/Power tools- drills, hand saws, hammers, sockets and wrenches, clamps, tool box, etc.
UPDATE 5/26: We had a wonderful woman donate some garden tools and a 16' aluminum ladder! Tall (16 or more foot) ladders
Supplies/materials that we could use:
Lumber - 1x4, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc. - We could also use fencing material and hardware
Roofing - we have a couple of smaller roofing jobs, but we cannot afford to purchase the materials
Ready-mix concrete and mortar
Hardware - All types of screws, nails, nuts and bolts, etc.
Joint compounds (mud) and tape, caulking, etc.
Here come the really big items:
Pickup Truck - When we started this, we didn't know that we would have a need for one so quickly. We thought that we could wait for a year or two, but we underestimated how many people were hurting out there.
(UPDATE) 5/26: We now have the rights for wevegottimetohelp.com and .org. We will be working on it for a few weeks and hopefully have it up and running sometime in June.
Website - A website would be so much more user friendly than the blog. We could put so much more information on it and be able to help that many more people.
Laptop - When we are out on projects, we are not near our home computer and there have been too many times that we have missed an emergency email or we need to find information for a project or we need to post a quick call for help.
Major tools - Lawn mowers, weed eaters, chainsaw, edgers, trimmers, air compressor, nail guns, power saws, etc.
If we could get some of these items, we would be in such better shape. We don't want anyone to feel obligated to donate items. We just thought that maybe there were some unused items out there that could be put to some great use. Basically, we need just about anything you can think of as our project list is extremely varied (and continues to grow).
Thank you so much to those who have already donated items and money. You are truly wonderful and giving. Normally, we would go without rather than to ask for such grand items. But in this case, if we can get the items we need, we could literally help hundreds and (and eventually) thousands more. If you can donate, please contact us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com and let us know!
Thank you again to everyone who has donated time, energy and goods to help those in need.
From dictionary.com the definition of Neighbor:
1. a person who lives near another.
2. a person or thing that is near another.
3. one's fellow human being: to be generous toward one's less fortunate neighbors.
4. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress.
From the first days of We've Got Time to Help Michelle and I have said, as loud and as clear as possible, that we will gather volunteers from all the different communities in Portland to help those in need. No matter what the need, if we gather enough volunteers, we can accomplish anything.
Great concept, wrong wording.
To get "volunteers" to help others is an antiquated way of thinking. Gathering "volunteers" was the old way of doing business. We were caught up in old habits. We now see the error of our ways.
Instead, (see numbers 3 and 4 above) we are all, and always have been, neighbors. It doesn't get any more clear or all-encompassing than "one's fellow human being". We feel ashamed for not seeing it before.
So, from now on, We've Got time to Help does not have "volunteers" that will help others in need. We have neighbors that are willing to cross the street or cross the river to help a fellow human being in need. We are all neighbors on this big, round rock and if we could all start to look at it that way, we think it might be just a little bit easier to help one another out in times of need.
We will now call We've Got Time to Help's group of "volunteers" (including ourselves) neighbors in the Extended Neighbor Network. How cool does that sound? We think that, if we can all look at it like we are just neighbors helping neighbors, not only will this be easier for people to offer assistance, but it might make it easier for one of our neighbors in need to reach out for help.
We're not helping a complete stranger, we're just helping a neighbor out that we haven't had the pleasure to meet yet. We're not volunteering, we are just giving a neighbor a hand.
Well, tomorrow morning (Saturday the 7th) is when we are making a delivery of household items to the family in need. We are very excited. If you plan to join us or you have other items to donate to this family, please let us know. We will be leaving our house (email for address) at about 8:30 am. If you can make it, we would love to have you!
As far as we know, the family is unaware of our efforts.
We have a sofa/love seat, dining table (no chairs, though), a coffee table, a stroller, food and some clothing for the family. All of these items were donated by people who just want to help. You guys and gals are great!
A BIG thank you to all that have donated time and items to this wonderful cause! Please join us.
Posts
All Comments
