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