Street Roots • July 22-28, 2016
News
Page 10
P H O T O BY JOE G L O D E
Stephanie Opoka in her pantry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
Order out of chaos
BY ROBIN SCHAUFFLER
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R ITER
t’s 4:45 on a Wednesday afternoon, and St.
Stephen’s Episcopal Church at Southwest
13th Avenue and Clay Street hums with
activity. A young woman carries a 10-pound
sack of ground coffee from a cramped
storeroom down a narrow hall to the kitchen
where five young
people, arms
"The greatest challenge of the day is: how
covered in tattoos,
to bring about a revolution of the heart.
are in various
stages of food prep.
A tall slim guy in a
black-laced corset
of burgundy satin
strikes a pose near
the stove. There’s
hardly room for all
a revolution which has to start
with each one of us."
their elbows in
there, but
Dorothy Day
somehow they fit
People are
gathering for dinner in the Parrish Hall, worn-
down bags and backpacks piled beside them.
Two men have brought small wire cages; they
let their cats out to relax on the tables,
leashed and collared. The men stroke the
kitties and whisper to them. A black German
shepherd nearby rests chin on paws, ignoring
the cats. There’s conversation, bustle, a sense
of expectancy. This is “Cooks’ Supper,” when
local chefs offer cooking classes and prepare a
I
meal with the group called The Underground
— homeless youth, ages 16 to 22.
The Outreach Minister, Paul Davis, dashes
from one group to another, eyes bright with
enthusiasm, welcoming all, asking questions,
keeping things lively. He knows everyone’s
name. He’s the engine, the energy, that drives
the whole operation, continually expanding
what’s offered, recruiting new partners,
raising the funds that keep it going. He laughs
easily, cares deeply, dreams big. He proudly
points out his latest triumph: Signs in
Mandarin, written by Hosford Middle School
language students, labeling the different food
areas so the elders from the nearby
apartments can now read them.
Tomorrow is Last Thursday Food Pantry,
when the Parrish Hall becomes a free grocery
store. In the basement a neat mountain of
cardboard boxes stands organized, labeled and
ready for the day.
Stephanie Opoka, shoulder-length blond
hair framing pink cheeks, moves through this
scene like a small steady tugboat in a busy
harbor, expecting other craft to bustle out of
her way — she throws a word here and there,
gruff but kind, nods to one, laughs at
another’s joke. This afternoon, she’s dressed
neatly in white blouse and tan slacks - when
she’s working, she’s in a sleeveless t-shirt and
jeans, hair firmly tied back out of the way.
Stephanie is the pantry manager for Clay
Street Table, the outreach program of St.
Stephen’s. She runs the Food Pantry,
maintains the supplies that support the
weekly schedule of different meals, and
manages the diverse volunteers.
St. Stephen’s sits at the edge of downtown
Portland, neighbor to a variety of other
service agencies, subsidized apartments and
Interstate 405. The Table’s mission is open-
armed: “to feed those who are hungry in body
and in spirit.” It’s the “in spirit” part that
matters most, Paul is quick to explain. Anyone
who’s hungry may enter this welcoming space
and find a kind word and some sort of meal
every day of the week, and then be invited to
help cook, or serve, or mop the floor, and
become part of a community. It isn’t just
about food - there’s a deeper hunger to
address.
This is the key to Clay Street Table’s
character: so many of the volunteers come in
first as clients. Most are homeless — singles,
couples, some families; others are elders in
nearby HUD housing, many of whom do not
speak English. Paul refers to all of them as
“guests,” or “friends,” not clients. Among
other volunteers are teens and pre-teens from
local schools, groups of college students on
work-study programs and members of seven
or eight different faith communities. These
volunteers, who go home to warm beds every
night, are also “friends.” Stephanie’s steady
hand keeps them all organized.
Stephanie has no written job description.
For more
information on
what Clay Street
Table provides, or
on becoming a
Table volunteer,
contact The Rev.
Dor. Paul Davis:
Paul@
ClayStreetTable.
org; (503)449-
4969. Or just show
up at the door:
1432 SW 13th
Avenue
See ORDER, page 11
The Revolutions o f the Heart series originates from a workshop taught by M artha Gies, whose students are profiling people in the community whn
™
title comes from Dorothy Day: “The greatest challenge o f the day is: How to bring about a revolution o f the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one o f
us. (Loaves and Fishes: The Inspiring Story o f the Catholic Worker Movement)
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