'You can feel the heart in here,' Paulette Bade writes about Street Roots
Paulette Bade has been with Street Roots for nearly 20 years, ever since it was called The Burnside Cadillac. You can find her most days seated in her walker, selling the paper at the corner of Southwest Park Avenue and Salmon Street in downtown Portland.
I started selling Street Roots a long time ago, and I love it. I really do.
The volunteers have always been there. When I was feeling down a couple of months ago, everyone was there to support me. That was when Rebekah passed away (Paulette’s best friend and fellow vendor). And then when Linguine, her kitty, passed away, everyone helped me, especially the volunteers. They talked to me and consoled me and let me talk about how I was feeling, just to help me get over it and let it pass.
Now I feel a lot better. There’s a lot of support down here. Cole (then Street Roots’ vendor program director) was amazing. He came up to see me and Rebekah.
Everyone was right here for me. They could feel my pain, and they shared it with me. I can still come in here and feel Rebekah here. No matter where I go, she is always there. She is still my bright spot.
Without the volunteers, I don’t think we could stay open as much as we do. I love all the volunteers and staff. They are so nice and pleasant, and they know what the vendors go through, being homeless, and they boost us up. They tell us we will do a good job.
When it was The Burnside Cadillac up to now, the changes have been amazing, but I think at its heart, it is still the same place, because everyone cares about everyone, like one big family. You can feel the heart in here. We all have our differences, but we get over that. No big arguments, but if there is, one of the volunteers will say something, just to get it done with.
I love coming to work because I know everyone appreciates what we do. So I give my hats off to all the volunteers. I want to let them know they are loved. I love the people here, and I love my customers. Our customers are very important to us. I learned that from day one.
I look forward to meeting more people, more customers, staying part of this community. It’s like one big family, and I love being part of it.
Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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