Gary Serventi is a self-described “wandering vendor.” Gary likes to be on the move and doesn’t have just one vendor post. He has sold newspapers for Street Roots the past five years as he moves from area to area walking through Northwest Portland.
“I like to be the one on the move and I am a very outgoing person,” Gary said. “I love people, so when I heard about Street Roots, I thought I would love to do that. I am not the type of vendor who gets a spot and sits there. If you see me walking, I am the one with a vendor badge.
“I like the idea that I am selling something, not panhandling.”
Walking means hiking, and exploring is a favorite hobby of Gary, who likes the woods and observing birds of prey.
During his youth in Nevada, he once discovered with a friend two baby bald eagles. The boys named the birds “Bonnie and Clyde,” and took them to a shed to raise them. A pair of Fish and Wildlife officials heard about the eagles and paid a visit to the shed, and noted the young eagles were thriving. Fish and Wildlife let the boys continue to raise the birds, and after the eagles were grown, the Fish and Wildlife team returned to release the eagles at a wildlife refuge.
Gary not only sells papers for Street Roots but has volunteered for other nonprofits such as Sisters of the Road serving meals, Portland Clean and Safe cleaning the downtown and helping at the Garden Church.
Gary was born in Detroit and in his early years, his family bounced from city to city, moving to Lake Tahoe, Anchorage, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle.
Gary spent some years on the streets of Seattle, then entered into a 30-year marriage.During this time, he was employed working in the three-phase industrial motors industry. At age 60, addicted to cocaine and burnt out in his marriage, he retired early and moved to Portland.
He secured subsidized housing in the Sally McCracken Apartments, a four-story alcohol and drug-free community operated by Central City Concern. He receives about $1,100 in monthly Social Security payments and pays $371 a month for an SRO (Single Resident Occupancy) apartment with a communal kitchen. Without a subsidy, his room in Northwest Portland would cost about $1,100, Gary said. His Street Roots earnings supplement his pension.
Gary struggles with his addiction and has been clean for a while now.
“I can see why people living in tents do what they do and turn to drugs,” Gary said. “They feel lost. What else can they do? With my addiction, I know I can quit, but this addiction is still alive. I have to be careful.”
What keeps Gary going is reaching out to others. Recently he was buying two sweet rolls to go with his morning tea and saw a young man sitting close by looking downcast. He gave the man one of his rolls.
“He looked at me, and our eyes met, and he said ‘thank you,’" Gary said. "I just love being a person who connects with others living on the edge, showing a little love, compassion.”
You can find Gary walking from post to post in Northwest Portland. You can also support Gary through
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