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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.