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