So you can’t afford gas to get away from Portland for an afternoon or a weekend. Well, maybe you’ll rediscover the beautiful parks we have right here. Pack up a picnic basket and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. And after your fine meal, try to imagine that you just finished your last regular meal and should plan on sleeping right there in the park because you have no place else to go. Maybe you’ll become so appreciative of what you have that you’ll think about doing some sharing. As long as you’ll be spending some leisure time in Portland, why not use that time making Portland a better place for all of us? How about doing a bit to help improve the plight of folks less fortunate than your family? Surely a community that includes healthy, well-fed, independent folks is a better place to live than one that is burdened with folks living on the edge, hungry, discouraged and running low on hope.
What can you do about poverty in Portland? Every dollar or hour that you can give to any of the many groups working so hard to alleviate poverty will help someone. On the way to your family picnic, you can pack twice as much as you need and drop off a meal for one of the panhandlers you often avoid. You could also buy a Street Roots from someone trying to earn a few dollars. If they ask for one dollar, it is really okay to give them two. Or give a dollar or an hour to any of the following organizations that recognize some of the basic causes of poverty here in Portland and elsewhere.
Portland Women’s Crisis Line can use dollars or volunteer hours. Many of the local women on the street are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, and because they are full of fear they ran away from situations, willing to live in the street rather than risk further abuse. RAP is an organization that provides help with the rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts. Without this program, more folks consumed by their habit would be in the streets instead of trying to get their lives back together.
Veterans for Peace work constantly to end the war and bring our troops home. The longer troops participate in combat, the more messed up physically and mentally they become. Of course, some return home safe and well, but too many have endured injuries and horrors that have led them down the path of unemployment, addiction, poverty, or just dysfunctional lives with their families and themselves.
Books for Prisoners sends materials to folks who are incarcerated and often are not getting any rehabilitation programs. Half of those in prison will be released and will be your neighbor. If the state is not providing necessary rehabilitation, family, friends and the community could be their only source of assistance. You can help those you may know who are incarcerated simply by writing a letter, paying them a visit, welcoming them home when the time comes with a safe place to live, employment, and moral support.
Take a look at the needs of senior and disabled folks. They need your help. Perhaps just in your family you contribute regular financial assistance. Have you thought about just helping loved ones with chores, and don’t overlook the importance of your visits. As folks become more confined to home, it is easy to get discouraged and just "give up" some of the routine things needed to take care of oneself. A visit often renews the will to try harder, to keep in touch, to watch the young ones grow and to feel like part of the family. Other shut-ins depend on services like Meals on Wheels and home nursing or volunteers to take them shopping. Maybe you are old enough already to see these needs. Who is going to help you?
My point is that all these issues overlap. Poverty is not caused by any one factor (except the system that does not deal with it!) and so it is necessary to multi-task our efforts. If you are not an organizer or ready or able to commit to real participation in a particular project, then just pitch in with a few dollars or a few hours at one or several. It is easy to find contact numbers for the groups mentioned as well as many others. If you want more information, just call us at Street Roots. This column has explained several times that most folks who slip into poverty did not see it coming, so don’t wait too long. It could happen to you or someone you love.
Once again, I am asking Street Roots readers to help make Portland a better place to live. Show it to be the city of love and understanding that many of us know.