RESTORING DIGNITY

We hope you had a fantastic Christmas, and we want to wish you a Happy New Year! As we go into the new year, one important resolution is to continue to help people right here in our own neighborhood who are facing new challenges. In spite of the improving economy, the a decreasing risk of hunger nationwide, Oregon is proving to be an exception. Here, the rate is actually rising. The number of children threatened by hunger in our state is greater than the population of Eugene. That’s a lot of kids. No child should have to face a day of school on an empty stomach. A big part of this problem is likely related to skyrocketing rent costs in the Portland area, which are putting new financial strains on families. PACS helps ease this burden by providing groceries to families who are struggling. Jessica & Mark are the parents in one of these families. They have three daughters, including 7-month-old Mercy. Mark works full-time at a restaurant, but his wages are very low. The family...

Paul was a hard worker. Since high school, he had never been unemployed for long. But one day, that all changed . First, he was in an accident that left him temporarily unable to work. Then, the loss of income led to a worsening of his diabetes. “The amount and types of food I was able to consume was not really great for the diabetes side of it, it was all rather starchy,” he said. Finally, his diabetes began to affect his eyesight, until one day, he realized he was rapidly going blind. “I was having a lot of trouble seeing anything at all,” he said. “ I was frustrated, depressed, and feeling the weight of the world and trying to get back to where I was, but things were not happening the way I anticipated.” With no income and no health insurance, Paul decided getting disability benefits was his only hope. But when he contacted a lawyer seeking advice on the process, the lawyer told him about the PACS Health Clinic, and he decided to check it out . ...

PACS wants to thank the City of Portland and each person and organization that contributed to this project. The organization is pleased to announce that the Beacon Project is now complete! PACS has established a more attractive, dignified and responsible visual presence in the community through the visual improvements (improved signage, new paint). It is also reducing its energy expenses and carbon footprint through green improvements (insulation, new double-paned windows). PACS is now using less than half the natural gas when comparing months with similar temperatures before and after the improvements. In additon to lowering the organization's carbon footprint, it decreases energy costs, freeing up additional money for investments in new programs like the addition of dental services (coming next spring). Here are some photos showing various parts of the project before, during, and after the work that was done. Letters/painting before Letters/painting in action L...

While there is still a lot of money to raise, PACS has been able to complete portions of the The Beacon Project with money already received. Signage Signage and lettering upgrades are complete. The improvements integrate the new logo which was designed by a major marketing firm called  Fiction . The firm donated that design to PACS at no charge. Signage upgrades were funded through an Urban Renewal Grant from the Portland Development Commission, PACS individual donors, PACS individual donors, and PACS internal funds. Here are some pictures of the improvements: Paint You can also see the new paint in the above picture. The main color on the building is complete, and portions of the blue trim are done. While it has been too cold to finish the job for several months, we except to finish up the trim in the spring as soon as weather permits. We want to thank Powell Paint Company for securing a 50% discount for us, as a non-profit cause, on the Benj...

Updated 2/4/14: here is the brand presentation video created by Fiction: Scott and Chrissy Petersen were not sure what to expect when they arrived at the 2009 PACS Awards Dinner & Auction. They entered the room and found their seats. It looked like many of the other charity events they had seen. But Scott & Chrissy soon realized that PACS wasn't just another organization. They heard the stories of people who were served. They learned about the food pantry model that helps people choose their own food. They learned about the clinic and the doctors that volunteer their time to help uninsured patients maintain their health. They learned about the thrift store where low-income families could purchase food and household goods for as low as $0.25. Scott, grew up in a community that had a large portion of its population struggling with economic hardship. His family often helped families who were going through difficult times. They would assist with charity events, delive...

Giovanni was tired of struggling to make ends meet when he decided to go back to school to further his career. Unfortunately, going to school is not so easy when you have a young family. When an accident left Giovanni with a severe head injury it was too much. The family was going to need help. Giovanni is still in school. He had to change his major after the accident, but he's determined to continue and get a degree. In the meantime, he is thankful for some of the programs that are sustaining basic needs for Jacqueline, Alex, and himself. Among these is the PACS COW (commodities on wheels) Mobile Food Pantry. In the crowded downtown area, Giovanni and Jacqueline have many resources close by, but sometimes the great need in that area exceeds the resources, or makes them difficult to access. CitySanctuary  partners with the PACS COW, providing volunteers and the leverage of their relationship with the Portland Housing Authority, to help solve that problem. The organizations ...

The paint job, signage, and other exterior elements at PACS have surpassed their lifespan. While the high level of need over the past few years has kept us focused elsewhere, we are now at a place where we can no longer ignore the blight our facilities are rapidly becoming on the neighborhood. That's why we have launched the Beacon Project, aimed at making PACS a visual beacon, rather than a blight, in our neighborhood. The goal is to complete all elements of the Beacon Project this summer. The Beacon Project includes the following fixes and improvements: Improve/replace exterior lettering and signage Raise/replace main building facade Replace current windows with energy-efficient, double-paned windows Re-paint both buildings (colors not yet chosen) In this post, I want to share a couple concept plans we have put together for the signage/lettering part of this project. The purpose of this specific improvement is to 1) take better advantage of the marketing advantag...