Before joining Street Roots, Heather Duffield was a cook for a living. She shared her grandmother’s recipes with the world and was promoted to kitchen manager, where she excelled.
“It was a man’s world, but I succeeded,” she said.
Heather worked in a kitchen for as long as she could remember, until she was a victim of medical malpractice in 2002, forcing her to leave her job. The situation caused her to lose her ability to maintain a steady income, which then displaced her from her home.
“I was really struggling for a long time, and I really wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for the help people in this community gave me along the way,” she said.
She realized that asking for help is the first step she needed to get back on her feet.
Heather has been working with Street Roots for five years. She loves having the ability to manage her own schedule and seeing her loyal customers on a recurring basis.
She has had housing for about three years, although she is having a hard time finding a place that has everything she needs. She had a rough time searching for rooms at first, trying to find a safe place to live with a door and a lock. When she found a place, it wasn’t near transit to get her to doctor’s appointments and volunteer gigs.
“I lived in so many places that were not near transit, and I couldn’t go anywhere. It was really difficult,” she said. “Now, I live near transit, but the building is falling apart, and it has a shared bathroom, so I don’t have much private space.”
Still, she describes most of her days as happy and enjoyable.
Heather hopes she can eventually help people in the community the same way people have helped her. She likes to think of herself as a community-oriented person, which was clear when she listed the volunteer work she does around Portland. She volunteers at The People’s Depot and Sisters of the Road on a weekly basis.
“I know I’m meant to do something in this world; I just don’t know what yet,” Heather said. “So many doors have opened for me. I was offered an opportunity to manage a community food pantry, and that is a dream of mine.”
Heather hopes to accept the position to manage the pantry as soon as she finds a different place to live. She is excited to give back to the community in a meaningful way.
When Heather is not volunteering, she spends a lot of her time crafting.
“I gather leaves every fall to make wreaths,” she said with a huge smile, “and I make popcorn balls for friends. Even strangers get a popcorn ball if they want one.”
She also makes her own Christmas ornaments. One year, she even sold them in a holiday bazaar, although she prefers making them as gifts.
Heather is a happy-go-lucky person who is optimistic that she will find her place in this world, and a nice apartment with her own bathroom.
You can buy the Street Roots newspaper from Heather at her post on Southwest Fifth Avenue and Oak Street.