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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2012)
2 street roots Sept. 14, 2012 E D I T O R I A The change is in your hands - and your pocket L hen supporting Street Roots, where does your money go? W Catholic Worker legacy alive By purchasing from your local neighborhood vendor in front of local and well in Portland I t’s been more than 30 years since Dorothy Day died, but her spirit remains alive and well. She was the founder and virtual personification of the Catholic Worker movement that said hospitality will triumph over hostility, and that violence isn’t necessary for, and in fact impedes, great change. It is a concept for organizing and empowering the poor that is incorporated in the foundation of many grassroots groups here in Portland, including Street Roots. However, the civility of the movement should not suggest that Day herself was anything resembling a shrinking ________________________ violent in To the the face contrary, of injustice. Dorothy Day once she was arrested for civil questioned, early In her disobedience on multiple life, why so much was occasions, including done remedying social ills standing up for women’s instead of avoiding them suffrage, supporting civil in the first place? ________________________ and labor rights, protesting the Vietnam War, and finally, at age 75, in her solidarity with United Farm Workers in California. In the throes of the Great Depression, the nation was figuring out how to live with a new - and massive - population of poor and homeless on its streets. There was charity, but no solidarity. Day’s initiative in establishing houses and communities for people who were homeless inspired newly energized supporters to offer what they could to this new social stone soup. The Catholic Worker movement also used its own newspaper to broaden the dialogue around economic justice and equal rights. She wrote about not just tending to those in need, but ending the root causes of inequality. She once questioned, early in Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org dollar is going to improve people’s quality of life. That SBC includes day-to-day survival, paying for B y Israel Bayer health care costs, housing and the opportunity to eat the food they choose. support is improving the lives of Your dozens of people week in and week out. Street Roots publishes 26 editions of the newspaper each year, generating sales of more than $300,000 that goes directly into the hands of vendors. Amazing. Street Roots’ annual budget is $260,000. What does the organization do with that money? When supporting the organization, the vast majority of your money is going to support the newspaper and vendor program. Forty-seven percent of the Street Roots budget comes from readers support, with the remaining amount coming from grants, sponsorships and advertising. The organization is truly people powered. Having the resources to publish a newspaper with quality journalism and For more inform ation about our programs, finances and partners, check out our a n n u a l report on our blog at www.streetroots. org LETTERS Story of David Hooper puts perspective on center’s role Thank you so much for writing this article (Three Boxes, Street Roots, Aug. 31). It never occurred to me that Hooper was named after a person. This wonderful program and opportunity is a lasting memorial to the tragedy of one man’s alcoholism, but also to the victory of recovery he could not receive but is now there for all who seek it. her life, why so much was done remedying social ills instead of avoiding them in the first place? The question resonates today. Our nation’s poverty rate remains at 15 percent, unchanged from last year and still at the highest levels in the past 50 years, according to the U.S. Census figures released this month. That’s more than 46 million Americans living in poverty, with more inching closer to the threshold as the median family income dropped slightly between 2010 and 2011. Equally disturbing in this land of plenty is the report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that more than 50 million Americans struggle with hunger. Our markets and corporations have recovered from the crash of 2008, but the people have not. So as the Catholic Worker movement approaches its 80th anniversary next year, the need for hospitality, empowerment and public awareness remains as imperative as it was when Day first opened her doors. Since her death 30 years ago, the movement has continued without any figurehead or national leader. But the practice of hospitality and opportunity over aggression and segregation remain in practice throughout Portland. The doors are open. Get involved. Learn more about the remarkable work in our community that is making a profound difference in people’s lives and the health of the community. It is truly better when we share. content is extremely difficult for a non-profit in a small market. The vast majority of the money that comes from readers to the organization goes right back into producing the newspaper and supporting the vendor program. It’s a beautiful model that your elevates establishments, public consciousness, while also offering an income for people experiencing poverty. Throw in a successful advocacy model and the publication of more than 100,000 copies of the Rose City Resource, and you should feel proud about supporting Street Roots. This past year, Street Roots spent 11 percent of its income on administrative duties (grant writing, fund raising). We are doing everything in our power to make sure that the money we spend goes to leverage the best possible products available to the people we serve - and the general public. We are a group of odd ducklings in the community who believe that together we can create social change — one newspaper and one conversation at a time. We dream big and expect a lot from ourselves. It’s your support that keeps us going. We can’t thank you enough for all the love. We humbly appreciate your support of grassroots media and the love you show for your local neighborhood vendor. Three Boxes: Revisiting David F. Hooper -S H A R O N . Portland WHAT DO YOU THINK? Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209, or e-mailed to streetrootsnews® gmail.com. Vendor’s commitment leaves lasting memory fo r reader I’ve been getting Street Roots sporadically from vendors for years. As I was leaving the Whole Foods in the Pearl last week, I was caught by the cover and interested and so approached the vendor to get one. I asked if he had change for a $5 and he’d just started working so he didn’t, so I just told him to keep the change. It would’ve been easy for him to say thank you and let me be on my way, but instead he stopped me and gave me three more papers to give to friends. For someone in need, I thought that was an impressive display of commitment to his job since this was a windfall that was coming out of his pocket. I didn’t get his name, but I thought he deserves some recognition. -sco n Portland Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice- chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa (Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander Volunteers Street Roots 211 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.streetroots.wordpress.com Program Assistant Kara Dimitruk, Jesuit Volunteer AmeriCorps Member kara@streetroots.org Grant Writer Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Cynthia Kiehl Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Robert Britt, Sue Zalokar Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kristina Wright Stay connected with us online through Facebook and Twitter BU donations and in-kind contributions. Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan Bayer, Sue Zalokar, Robert Britt, Shannon Lattin, Jim Quinlan, Amber Tyrell, Ann Ereline. Street Roots Rose City Resource Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a comprehensive booklet of services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty. To inquire about getting an order of the Rose City Resource for distribution, please write to pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also available online at www.rosecityresource.org. Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office
