Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2013)
P R IN T : Arts& Culture Wednesday, November27,2013 5 Find a w a rm h o lid a y m eal | fo r fre e Karina Gustafson The Clackamas Print If you are inter e st^ in attending a lice thanksgiving meal, these .lie some of ihe places ¡11 the Portland area where you can have a great meal: American 1 egion Post Karina Gustafson The Clackamas Print Thanksgiving can be full of wonder. Food, family and friends come together to mark the day of thanks. Just ask Tonya Pevzner, a student at Clackamas Community College. “All of my family lives in different countries: Germany, Russia, [and] Israel, except my mom,” Pevzner said. “So Thanksgiving is a chance for my mom and I to be with our friends here, who have become like family. All of us have bonded as immi grants and kept our Russian culture alive. So every year the holidays have a little bit of a cultural twist. I’m thankful for all of the people here from my country and grateful that they have showed me how blood isn’t the only thing that makes people like family,” Pevzner said. As Pevzner has discovered family isn’t just blood; family comes in all different forms, especially during the holidays. Volunteering is a way to extend your family and give back. Isn’t it time to start a new tradition, giving thanks by volunteering and helping those who are less fortunate? There are many ways to give back to the community. One way, if volunteering isn’t for you, is a cash dona tion. Local organizations are always looking for donations to better their community pro grams and keep them up and running. If you have time on Thanksgiving, volunteers are always needed during the free Thanksgiving meals provided by local organizations and churches. You can cook, clean, greet guests and so forth. Many organizations are no longer accepting Thanksgiving Day volunteers this year. “Yes, we take volunteers for helping with the dinner, but we are full up now,” said Cathy Leeper, parish secretary at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Oregon City. “We are accepting donations.” Although a lot of places at this point are filling up with volunteers, some are still in need. Feast4Southeast is still accepting volunteer appli cations at http://www.feast- 4southeast.com/volunteering. Volunteers are also welcome at the free annual Thanksgiving meal offered by PROPER, a a North Portland community organization. Contact Robin at 503-890-5393 for more infor mation. If you can’t volunteer this year, don’t stress it. Just remember that people are hungry every day of the year. “The total number of people in low-income working fami lies now stands at 47.5 million and could reach 50 million in the next few years,” according to workingpoorfamilies.org. “That’s roughly equivalent to the total number of people liv ing in California, Oregon and Washington combined.” Due to many reasons, many families, including some at Clackamas Community College, cannot afford to buy food, not only on holidays but throughout the year. Research and plan ahead to find which organization fits you best and volunteer for them. There are always people who need the help. “I always give back to my community when I can,” said Grant Carkner, a student at CCC. “Volunteering is a family tradition.” Back at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, volunteers were preparing for a free feast. “Anyone is welcome to come and eat,” said Leeper. 180 is throwing a free drop-in holiday dinner 110111 noon to 4.0(1 p m. at 2146 S.E. Monroe St., Milwaukie I here is addi tional parking .lvaikiblc across the street at Waldorf School. Foothills Community Church is throwing a free drop-in and sit-down holi day dinner from 10 00 a m to 4:00 p.m. at Molalla Adult Community Center at 315 Kennel St..’Molalla. Lake Grove Presbyterian Church is having a sit-down holi day dinnei from noon to 2:00 p in at 4040 Sunset Drive, Lake Oswego. Reservations arc cik o iii - aged. Call 503-636-5656, extension 107. St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Oregon City will be having two sessions ot a drop-in, sit- down huhdav dinnei I he first serving is al noon • and the second serv ing is at 3:00 p.m. at 417 Washington S t. Oregon City. Feast4Southeast is having a drop-in, sit- down holiday dinner from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Mt. Scon Community Center on 5530 S.E. 72nd Ave., Portland. Ihe> will be giv ing away additional items to keep community mem bers warm, like scarves, hats, gloves and socks to those who need them. PROPER is throwing a food celebration with sto rytelling, music and holi day resources for the com munity from noon to 4:00 p.m at 8131 N Denver \ \ e . Portland. Top photo: community members Took through the fresh produce in First Baptist Church located in Oregon city. Bottom left: the makeshit aisles cover the basement o f St. Paul’s first Baptist Church. Bottom righ: First Baptist Church, located on 9th and John Adams in Oregon City, provides food for the less fortunate. They have makeshift isles o f food that people can pick from and place in their shopping carts. Volunteers are available to assist in any way they can. Fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods and non perishable items, pastries and baked goods are donated to the church, who in turn gives them out to the people o f the community. ' FOLLOW US ONLINE! The Clackamas Print (Official) Clackamasprint
