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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2017)
Page 3 DUiiaing relationships, one vendor at a time treet Roots vendors are the heart and soul of Portland. S Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. There are nearly 170 vendors selling the newspaper at around 80 locations throughout the Portland region. Street Roots very much appreciates the business partnerships we have throughout the community. wherever you Typically, see a Street Roots vendor, you will find a healthy and vibrant urban street B y Israel Bayer corner - full of community and love. “I’m making money and I feel good about myself,” said Willie, a Street Roots vendor who sells in downtown Portland. “We have a responsibility in Portland, not only to deliver a great newspaper, but we also represent people on the streets in a way that not everyone can say we are lazy or drug addicts. We’re human beings, just like everyone else.” Your readership of Street Roots goes a long way to give people a hand up. Vendors typically use the money selling Street Roots to purchase a range of things to support and improve their quality of life. I recently asked a room full of vendors what they spent their money on after selling Street R oots this w eek. T h e answ ers were many. R e n t. F o o d . P h o n e bill. Child su p p o r t. H ea lth ca re. C lo th e s . F lo w e r s . S h o e s . Street Roots vendors are resourceful. In a time when our community has become divided over thousands of people sleeping on our streets, Street Roots serves as a safe place for people across class lines to build authentic relationships with people experiencing homelessness. In those relationships, opportunities are realized. Several of our vendors have gone on to work for the company they sell in front of. Friendships become real bonds that lift people to the next level. And with a network of community, what once seemed major hurdles in life become bumps in the road, overcome with love and support. We are currently working on trying to create more locations specifically in East Portland and in the suburbs. Street Roots is working to try to create more locations on private property — something that some business owners have been hesitant to do. If you are a business owner and would like to have a Street Roots vendor in front of your store, or if you know of a location on public property that you think would be a great location for a vendor, we encourage you contact us at 503.228.5657 or reach out to Director of Vendor Services Cole Merkel at cole@streetroots.org. In a time when our city remains divided over the issue of homelessness, Street Roots vendor represent a calm, giving both vendors and the public at large a sense of Write in If you would like something that you’ve / \ \ Z —------_ a T written published \ in our pages, or would iiketc get Involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Executive Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St ' Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-1 p.m. Sun. c o m m u n ity . Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@skeelroots.org Executive Editor Joanne Zuhl S t r e e t R o o t s r e a d e r s a re g i v i n g p e o p le on th e stre e ts a hand u p — o n e c o n v e r s a t i o n V e n d o r P r o g r a m D ir e c to r CcA e M e rk e i and one newspaper at a time. Thank you for your ongoing readership of Street Roots. joanne@streetroots.org tole@sveetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Development Director Sarah Cloud Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Wa! jroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Giode, Arkady Brown Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Tayior Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Dan Jones Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Nets Johnson and Alison Hallett Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Jason Cohen, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Del Shawn Davidson, Gillian Floren, Mark OIDani, Bianca Butler, Alex Cherin, Jenny Farres, Evan Firsick, Camber Hansen-Karr, Miranda Woods, Henry Brannan, Megan Smith, Luke Scheuermann, Annie Aube, Helen Hill, Mark Brown, Lily Krai, Mary Emerson, Adam Bruns, Brooke Anderson and Megan Pickerel-Winer. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call for more information at 503-228-5657.
