Bags of Love, a Eugene-based nonprofit founded in
2008, provides necessities and comfort items to children
who are in crisis due to abuse, neglect, homelessness or
poverty.
The bags are hand-sewn by volunteers and filled with
a range of constant necessities — toiletries, clothing, pa-
jamas and school supplies — and items for enjoyment, in-
cluding age-appropriate toys and books.
According to Bags of Love’s website, each bag contains
a handcrafted quilt or fleece blanket, made to help “soothe
and comfort children experiencing scary and uncertain
times, as well as address the immediate needs of these chil-
dren during transition.”
Bags of Love says it partners with more than 50 com-
munity agencies, including American Red Cross, CA-
HOOTS, Hosea Youth Services and more, that help in the
distribution of more than 1,500 bags annually.
“We rely on our volunteers and community support to
meet this production goal,” the nonprofit says.
Bags of Love is always in need of monetary donations
and supplies, welcoming donations including clothing for
children of all ages, disposable diapers, toiletries, toys and
material for blankets and quilts. The group also welcomes
volunteers of all ages to help at the facility or help make
blankets and bags.
Bags of Love has seven donation drop-off locations
around Eugene. For more information on where to donate
items, how to volunteer or find information about upcom-
ing events, visit bagsofloveinc.org. — Dave Fried
FRIENDS AND
NEIGHBORS
Many veterans returning home from combat are not able
to make the tough transition back to civilian life. These for-
mer soldiers often self-medicate instead of seeking profes-
sional help, leading to drug addiction, deeper depression,
domestic problems and homelessness.
Veterans Legacy, a nonprofit organization in Spring-
field, proposes a novel and active solution to this issue.
Over the course of the past year, Veterans Legacy has
been restoring the former Lane County Sheriff’s Office
Inmate Forest Work Camp in Alma. The group’s eventual
goal is to house 40 to 55 veterans suffering from PTSD,
drug addiction and other adjustment disorders in the rural
setting. These individuals will have access to psychologi-
cal care as well as engage in agricultural therapy. The vi-
sion for Veterans Legacy is that this supportive community
will provide the forum for the veterans to heal and restore
the self-sufficient drive that residents feel like they lost af-
ter leaving the military.
After 10 years of disuse, the former work camp in Alma
was in a state of disrepair. Since February, Veterans Leg-
acy has restored some order with the help of community
partners. John LeBow, president of the board of directors
for the nonprofit, says, “The Sutherland Woodshop donat-
ed their time to laser cut our sign, then Gene Stringfield
Building Materials donated the timber for the signage and
finally the Lane Electric Co-op brought out augurs to dig
holes in order to mount the posts. This story is a great met-
aphor for our organization.”
Lane Electric, Comfort Flow HVAC and the Willamette
Valley Rebel Rally are just a few of the businesses donat-
ing time and materials to Veterans Legacy. Like most non-
profits, however, this one still grapples with the financial
reality of relying on the goodwill of donors in order to have
operating revenue.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm for this idea,” LeBow
says. “But that hasn’t translated into a lot of people writing
a check.”
The goal is to have Veterans Legacy up and running this
summer, beginning with one to five residents. There are
over 28,000 veterans living in Lane County, the highest per
capita population in Oregon.
To learn more about the nonprofit, to donate or for a
drone tour of the developing work camp in Alma, visit the
group’s homepage at veteranslegacyoregon.org.
Housing our Veterans is another nonprofit group seek-
RE V. DOUG H ALE RUNS THE
STUDENT FOOD PANTRY
P HOTO BY T R A SK BEDOR T H A
ing to help homeless veterans in Lane County who are of-
ten suffering from drug addiction and PTSD. Visit housin-
gourveterans.org or contact Lorie Perkins at 541-606-9220
or housingourveterans@comcast.net about giving a hand
to the group.
Reining Spirit is a horse rescue that works with dads
of divorce and veterans that also buys horses headed for
slaughter and rehabilitates them. Find them at facebook.
com/reiningspirit.
Eugene PeaceWorks is a nonprofit that seeks to bring
the reality of war and what it is like to be a soldier to the
general public. Their website is members.efn.org/~eug-
peace. — Matthew Denis
The season of giving is upon us, a cherished time to
give to those near and dear to our hearts. As you ponder
meaningful ways to give, think about supporting groups
that seek to improve the lives of those in our community
who need it most — the homeless.
The St. Vincent de Paul Service Station (svdp.us) is
a safe haven for homeless adults in the city. Located on
Highway 99, the Station welcomes the homeless into a
place of warmth and shelter daily from 8 am to 5 pm, pro-
viding food, the opportunity to shower and do laundry, as
well as offering resources, supplies and assistance for per-
sonal crises.
The Station opened with the assumption that 50 or so
people might pass through on an average day. Instead, ac-
cording to manager Carmen Peer, more than 200 home-
less come in daily, while others visit as they are passing
through town.
“Everyone deserves basic necessities: a place to go to
the bathroom, food, shelter,” Peer says. “This is the place
to come for those things for so many people.”
The Station has indoor and outdoor elements, both fea-
turing picnic or round tables for people to sit, chat with
one another and “enjoy the family-style environment,”
Peer says. It has cubbies for people to check in personal
belongings, movies always playing on large TVs and a free
pet clinic twice a month thanks to Pro-Bone-O (proboneo.
org).
Breakfast and lunch are prepared and served from the
full-service kitchen, and a variety of snacks along with bot-
tled water are offered generously until closing time. “We
make sure to let everyone load up on snacks before they
go, because a lot of them won’t have anything to eat or any
place to be until we open again tomorrow,” Peer says.
With winter approaching, the Station will see more in-
dividuals on a daily basis. “Imagine being outside all day
and all night, with no place to go,” Peer says. “It’s a privi-
lege to be able to welcome so many people here.”
The Station is always in need of support. You can vol-
unteer to help prepare, serve or clean up breakfast and
lunch any day of the week; you can donate items includ-
ing sleeping bags, backpacks, personal hygiene supplies,
socks, shoes and coats; and, of course, you can give money
to help support the operations.
“On the very rare occasions that we have to close for
a day, we have so many people ask, ‘Why can’t we go
home?’” Peer says. “This place is a home.”
Occupy Medical is another volunteer-run group that
faithfully serves the homeless, offering free medical care
out of a mobile clinic every Sunday to those who otherwise
can’t afford services.
The group is in need of toiletries, first-aid supplies,
nutritional supplements, winter shoes, boots and socks.
Items can be delivered to Unitarian Universalist Church,
or checks made payable to “Occupy Medical” and sent to
PO Box 50354, Eugene, OR 97405. Visit occupy-medical.
org for more information.
Another group that would benefit from support this
season is White Bird Clinic, which “provides a range of
safety net services for people who are unserved, underin-
sured, disabled and homeless,” says operations coordinator
Heather Sielicki.
“We see ourselves as operating below the safety net
because we try and catch the people who fall through the
holes,” she adds.
White Bird Clinic prioritizes serving the homeless,
offering a medical clinic, drug and alcohol treatment pro-
gram, homeless case management, mental health services,
24/7 intervention services and more. The group is in need
of money, winter supplies and volunteers for specific proj-
ects.
To find out how you can help, visit whitebirdclinic.org,
find the group on Facebook or call 541-342-8255.
Carry It Forward is a small organization that delivers
donations directly to unhoused individuals as well as to the
organizations that serve them, including Occupy Medical,
Egan Warming Centers, Community Supported Shelters
and others. The group also provides emergency survival
items and laundry assistance to individuals in acute need.
This winter Carry It Forward is launching a project to
employ several homeless individuals to provide laundry
services to the five sanctioned camps in Eugene. Dona-
tions of used warm clothing, coats, socks, winter shoes,
camping gear such as backpacks, tents, tarps and blankets
or sleeping bags go directly to those in need, and monetary
donations are used to fund laundry and emergency needs.
For more information, please visit carryitforward.net.
A Community Together, ACT, is an independent non-
profit community resource aiming to improve the quality
of life for those in Lane County and beyond. ACT’s proj-
ects center on civic engagement, civic journalism, financial
services and community organizing, and the group focuses
primarily on those in poverty and the homeless.
Monetary donations are the greatest need and can be
sent to P.O. Box 1214, Eugene, OR 97440. Please reach
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