You might recognize Max McEntire as the friendly Street Roots vendor who sold papers at Northwest 11th Avenue and Couch Street in front of Powell’s City of Books. Max has been with Street Roots since September, when he decided to claim Portland as home.
“I wasn’t sure if I could be successful selling,” he said. But that first day, when he sold 47 papers, he thought, “OK, maybe I can do this.”
He has since made some great relationships with his customers.
“Dogs of regular customers would run up to greet me,” he said. One of his customers bought him a pair of boots for the winter.
This is the first year Max has not been “on the road.” Adopted by a carnival family, he’s been traveling with carnivals, running games and working security for the past 40 years. He fell in love with Portland in 1986 when he worked the Portland Rose Festival.
“I basically came here really down,” he said about when he settled in Portland. “Really, really down.”
Then he found out about Street Roots from a friend.
“I came to Street Roots because I had no way of making any income,” he said. “Street Roots saved my life this winter.”
You might recognize Max from the festive Street Roots wedding held in April, when Max and Deanna Handley were married at the Street Roots office and celebrated with Street Roots friends and staff.
“I was actually leaving town that night,” he said of the moment he met Deanna. So disturbed by the upheaval of police sweeps, he said, “I was gonna hit the road. It was raining, and all she had was a blanket and a wheelchair. She’d lost both her legs from frostbite. It was cold and raining, and nobody was helping her. I thought, ‘I’ll stay and help her.’ And then I just decided to stay altogether.”
The newlyweds recently settled into camp C3PO near the Greyhound Station. The camp was established to help people experiencing homelessness shelter in place during the pandemic.
“Deanna likes it,” he said. “She can sleep in relaxation and feel safe. Our tent is large enough to move the wheelchair around.”
When asked about COVID-19 concerns, Max said that everyone in the camp respects the 10-feet distance regulation. The camp is equipped with showers and laundry facilities, and residents receive two meals a day.
But they’re both looking forward to the day when they can have their own place.
“We’ve got plans to have an apartment pretty quick,” he said.
Max is continuing to work with Street Roots and trying to land a full-time job. They’re saving their earnings and completing all the complex paperwork to qualify for Social Security and medical assistance.
“Once we get the apartment, we’re gonna be all right,” he said.
For now, Max is a member of the Street Roots Coronavirus Prevention and Action Team. With Max’s experience in security, he was a natural for running security for Street Roots. His assignment: to manage traffic flow in and out of the office, to make sure that people wear masks and remain safely spaced out, and to keep people feeling friendly among one another.
“Folks aren’t used to standing in line,” he said with a laugh.
What about the future?
“If I wake up in the morning,” Max said, “it’s a good day.”
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