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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1987)
Mrs Frances Schoen-Newspaper Room U n iv e r s it y o f Oregon L ib r a r y tu g e n e , Oregon 97403 U S PS9»«U «* a i r PuNuhtng Co . Ine IW H by Leon Harris For more than 32 years. Community Care has fed, clothed and shel tered impoverished families in Portland and throughout Oregon. Irrespec tive of race or color, thousands have been recipients of this outstanding organization's desire to help the needy. Under the direction of Clara Peo ples founder and director, Community Care received no support rom governmental agencies. Its resources were a result of donations from local merchants and farmers. Every Tuesday and Thursday, hundreds lined up at 15th and Ainsworth in N E Portland to receive contributions of milk, bread, vegetables, fruit, cheese and meats, when available. Community Care received more than its share of requests for help to pay utilities, rent, and meet other family e.ner- Qnmp families were helped, some were not. The agency s 1 à* I S Even more tragic was the absence ot insurance un me .uuu.u.u. munity Care and Clara Peoples lost everything The fire occurred while Ms. Peoples was in another part of the state collecting donations to feed the hungry. The Portland Observer has established a special fund to help Commu nity Care and Clara Peoples. The address of the Observer is 5011 N.E.26th, Portland, Oregon, 97211. The telephone number is 503-288-0033. We can think of no cause more worthy than one which would ensure the survival of Community Care. The Observer appeals to you for community support. XJ" ” à ? «h All cash donations should be forwarded to First Interstate Bank, Walnut Park Branch, P.O. Box 11346, Portland, Oregon, 97211, Attn: Community Care. Other items for donation will be accepted at the Portland Observer, 5011 N.E. 26th, Portland, Oregon, 97211, (503)288-0033. a . , . Peoples whose hon.« was g u ...d by . f i r . S .w r d .y t o . no. ye. given up on providing for th u s. in need. Photo by Richard J . Brown Mireya Lucero Patriot for El Salvador Although only 25 years old, Ms. Lucero has endured years or oeprr vation and sacrifice. She has survived countless bombing raids and the repeated loss of her home. Nine of her relatives - aunts, uncles, nephews and one brothe „ have been killed by government forces. An elder sister was ¿.sappeared. They number among over 63,000 Salvadorans, mainly civilians, who have been killed and 5,000 who have been "disappeared” since the war began in El Salvador, a country the size of the state of Massachussets. In the U.S., that would translate into two and a half million citizens murdered. Mireya was born to peasant farmers in Potonico, Chalatenango. peasants of Chalatenango are among the poorest in a poor country w ere one in four children below the age of five dies from malnutrition and infec tious diseases. Landlessness, poverty and illiteracy, compounded by the war, have eroded the social fabric of communities in Chalatenango and elsewhere throughout El Salvador. Mireya's parents instilled in her a deep religious faith and encouraged her to complete high school despite the lack of adequate schooling in the area Mireya began her commitment to social justice when she became involved in the Christian Base Communities, a movement that sprung up in Central America in the 1960's and 70's to find solutions to the problems of poverty and inequality faced by peasants. As part of th ,s movement, Mireya travelled throughout Chalatenango with a group of religious wor ers while still only a teenager. __ At the age of 16, when she entered the 10th grade, Mireya beg working side by side with her people, organizing campaigns to better th quality of education, lower tuition costs for students obtain fair wages o teachers and improve the working conditions of families in her commun y. She went on to organize other peasant communities, working in villages such as Aguilares, where Father R u lilio G r.n d . « K IP ™ * honored w K. & w * ' & - Í • » >. " ». < À * KM < 4 ; K4 ■ b .' UM s'* « ^CX J ► I xi. w — J■ c A 4 * I a. Mireya Lucero, a Salvadoran woman ruun..H u.o met with a group of women over breakfast at the Red ea t i°P' Restaurant Tuesday morning. Lucero spoke of conditions in her This fall, Mireya Lucero is touring the US to convey the plea of her people for respect in securing their human and civil rights, and ecfinom.c assistance in rebuilding their communities. Recently, hundreds of displaced families, aided by international volun teers and aid, have begun to return to the rural villages from which they w J* s ’ d the work people like herself ere doing. The get to- coordinated by the Black Womens Gathering. Photo by Richard J. Brown were driven. , . The military continues to harrass the i occupations, abductions, and blockades ol Despitethis, the repopulations have made the peasants' determination to hold onto th