RESTORING DIGNITY

PLEASE BE WARNED! This is a super-duper-early-inside-peek at what we're eying for next year----some of these things are still ideas, not official plans yet. Not all of them are likely to come true. Oh, and this is also dependent on the Mayan Apocalypse failing to come true ;) OK, seriously, here are the possibilities for 2013: Ramp up use of the PACS COW Mobile Food Pantry This is probably the closest thing to a sure-thing plan of the ones mentioned here, as it's already underway. The PACS COW was launched in 2011. It is a walk-through food pantry on wheels that brings the client-choice food system to neighborhoods that don't have adequate resources. Despite last year's launch, the COW has not been as active as we had hoped, due to the struggle to find partner host sites and volunteers during a very busy year with our other services. Dianne Glovatsky, our clinic manager, has taken the PACS COW on as a side-project, and is actively forming partnerships

(special thanks to Teresa MacIsaac for donating her photography talent to document this event) Approximately 330 people attended the 2012 Awards Dinner & Auction As the end of the 2012 Awards Dinner and Auction neared, there was a mad scramble behind the scenes.  A small team of trusted helpers tried frantically to add up all the donations that had just come in. The goal was to announce a rough total of funds raised toward helping needy families before the event ended.  It was a lot to ask, and the team did a tremendous job, as always. Yet when a total of $70,000 was finally announced, we were surprised to be $10,000 short of our goal.  This initial rough count is never 100% perfect. It can't be when it has to be done in about 30 minutes. But it's usually gives us a pretty good ballpark figure to announce at the end of the event. However, this year, a typical small mistake made a MUCH BIGGER DIFFERENCE than usual. There was a sizable 12-month recurring pledg

PortlandOnline.com In the search for a speaker this year, we hoped to find a name people might know. A name people would be interested in hearing. We decided to approach Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz . Mrs. Fritz, who is also a nurse and a mother, was the first person to qualify for the city's public financing program (which allows an individuals without wealthy private funding sources to get a certain amount of public funding to campaign for office). Not only did she qualify, but she proceeded to win election in 2008. Since that time, Fritz has been a vocal advocate on the council for under-served neighborhoods in Portland. Amanda toured PACS in 2008, before she was elected to the city council. She was fascinated by the shopping model our food pantry uses, providing more choice and personal empowerment to people receiving food. She even blogged about it, writing, "The best idea there ever was? You have to admit, it's good. Send me your suggestion for one th