s
1 he P ortland O bsfrver • N ovember 29, 1995
Adopt A Family
And Brighten
A Holiday
Kenton Home
Preparedness Fair
WTESItf
Again recent news articles have sounded
the alert: Geologists expect a major earthquake
in our future. Are your home and family ready
for such a disaster? And what about other
dangers, such as wide-spread damage from
another Columbus Day storm? Or release o f
hazardous materials by a rail or highway acci­
dent? Or criminal breaking and entry9 Or any
o f the smaller catastrophes that can befall your
home? How does one prepare for such events?
When fire and police personnel are busy with
the really B IG problems, who will help the rest
o f the community? For the answer to these and
similar questions, come to the Kenton Home
Preparedness Fair ai the Kenton Fire House,
8105 N. Brandon, from 9:00AM to 3:00PM on
Saturday, December 2.
Portland residents must be ready for more
than just earthquakes. There will be demon­
strations, information, and handoufs for your
family on home security, fire safety, first aid.
natural disasters, earthquake proofing, and other
emergencies. Displays will feature fire trucks,
safety equipment, seismic retrofit systems,
home preparedness kits and much more. The
Kenton Network Emergency Team will dem­
onstrate how citizens can play an important
part when disaster strikes The Portland Police
Bureau will show how low income, elderly and
disabled citizens can get free assistance with
home security A North Portland Neighbor­
hood Crime Prevention Specialist will share
information on home security surveys and how
other factors can make your home attractive to
a criminal. And more!
Presented by the Kenton Action Plan with
the assistance of the Kenton Neighborhood
Emergency Team. Portland Fire Bureau. Port­
land Police Bureau, and the North Portland
Neighborhood Office. For more information
call 289-6693. The Kenton Action Plan is a
community redevelopment e ffo r f •ftinded
through the Portland Bureau o f Housing and
Community Development.
Thanks to St. Vincent de Paul. 105
I needy families in the Portland metropoli­
tan area were "adopted" last Christmas.
For those families, being adopted meant
I that an otherwise dreary holiday season
I was a lot brighter. Each received not only
a festive meal but staples enough to stock
the cupboard, along with warm clothing
and toys for the kids in the family.
“ I don’t care what your politics are,”
I says Mark Mathews. “ When there arechil-
I dren involved, it’s tough to see families
I without the things we take for granted —
heat, food, clothing — basic needs not
being met.”
Mark Mathews is a vice president and
partner at Northwest Pump and Equip­
ment, 2800N. W. 3 1 st Avenue in Portland.
The company, which has 55 employees in
Portland, also has office in Seattle and
Spokane, Washington, and in Billin gs,
Montana. Northwest Pump and Equipment
hasadoptedseveral fam ilieseveryyearfor
I the past 22 years.
Northwest Pump and Equipm ent
I adopts its families through Immaculate I
Heart Parish St. Vincent de Paul in north
Portland, where Mathews got involved in
a tutoring program when he was a student
at Central Catholic High School.
The company provides the cash for
two weeks worth o f groceues, a turkey and
a ham and employees purchase toys and
clothing for their fam ily. They spend about
$ 8 0 0 for groceries for the three families,
designating a couple ofemployees as shop­
pers, others to wrap gifts. Last year, em­
ployees contributed nearly $2,000 for toys
and clothing.
For this team of toy testers, work is all fun and games, as they figure out which of 24
Mathews says There’s a lot o f compe­
Duracell Kids ’ Choice National Toy Survey. Results are available by calling Durac
tition among employees to get to deliver
the groceries and gifts. “ Everyone wants to
I go. It’s the high point ofthe holidays for us
all,” he says. “ We try to give as many
employees as possible a chance to partic­
ipate.”
:
According to St. Vincent de Paul’s
executive director Janice Pelster, in addi­
tion to the 105 families who were adopted
last year, an additional 76 on the I ist weren’t
matched with sponsors. She expects at
least as many families to need help this
year but hopes each w ill be matched with
a sponsor.
J
Neighbors
Helping
Neighbors
Walnut Park Retail Cen­
ter has joined forces with the
Albina Ministerial Alliance to
provide help to homeless fam­
ilies in northeast Portland.
Individuals or businesses who want to
Through the month o f De­
sponsor a family may call 234-5295. A ny­
cember, all merchants at Wal­
one who needs help may call 232-9797.
nut Park Retail Center will pro­
In addition to its Adopt-A-Fam ily pro­
vide co llectio n points for
gram, the Portland Society o f St. Vincent
“Neighbors Helping Neigh­
de Paul sponsors one ofthe largest door to
bors”, a program to provide
homeless or formerly homeless
door Christmas food drives in the country,
expecting to serve about 5,000 families
families with holiday essentials.
this year.
' Items requested include: New
Volunteers and contributions are wel- 1 and used cloth ing for adults and
come, says Pelster.
1 children, especially winter
clothing; unopened personal
care
products, such as soaps,
St. Vincent De Paul’s
hair, dental and skin products;
Christmas Shopping List new or used household items,
Totals Tons
such as ben linen, kitchenware
Forty thousand pounds each o f orang­
and towels: new educational
es, potatoes, apples and onions, 7,500
toys. AII donated items will ben­
loaves o f bread, 6,000 pounds o f ham,
efit homeless members o f N E
5,000 pounds o f margarine.
Portland through the Albina
That’s just the beginning when Janice
Ministerial Alliance.
Pelster makes up her holiday grocery list.
The Albina Ministerial A l­
liance has promoted the health
Pelster, who is the executive director o f the
Portland Society o f St. Vincent de Paul,
and well-being o f children and
masterminds one o f the biggest holiday
families in north and northeast
food programs in the U S. With the help o f Portland for over 40 years. The
A11 iance ’ s soc la I program s serve
2,000 volunteers and generous contribu­
over 7.000 people each year
tions o f food and cash, St. Vincent de Paul
For more inform ation
w ill feed about 5,000 needy families again
this holiday season.
about the Albina Ministerial
Alliance or Neighbors Helping
Volunteers w ill pick up non-perish­
Neighbors, please call 285-0493
able food door to door in metropolitan
ext. 203 Walnut Park Retail j
neighborhoods Saturday, December9. This
Center is at N E Killingsworth
canned and packaged food w ill supple­
Street and Martin Luther King
ment the fresh produce and meat pur­
Jr. Boulevard.
chased by St. Vincent de Paul to create
substantial food baskets averaging 60
pounds apiece. The goal, according to
Homeownership
Pelster, is to provide “all o f the fixings for
a holiday dinner -- and a few o f the extras
Opportunity
that make the meal special.”
Forum
St. Vincent de Paul needs to collect
about 350,000 pounds o f food to ensure
A Homeownership O p­
ample holiday dinners for 5,000 families.
portunity Forum is to be held
Volunteers are needed to collect, sort
on Saturday, December 9.
and package food and to staff the tele­
I995 IO:OOa.m to 11:30a.m.;
phones for families who need help. If you
at the Matt Dishman Commu­
can help, call St. Vincent de Paul at 234-
nity Center. 77 NF. Knott -
5295 or 234 -1114. I f you need help, call
Room A Refreshments Pro­
232-9797.
vided R S V P to 282-7744
"KING'S KIDS"
CHRISTIAN
DAYCARE
NOW ENROLLING
2 8 7 -4 8 2 5
Monday - Friday, 6.4 M to 6PM
Christ Centered Curriculum
Preschool age, 2 1 /2 - 5 years
Limited Space available
Low, Reasonable rates
U.S.D.A. Meals
Pc ZA/
CCD Certified
JU (
There’s
going to be a
‘hole’ lot of action
on Alberta Street.
Fifty gtxxl size holes to he exact. That’s how many trees are
going to be planted by neighhorhtxxl volunteers starting at 9 a.m.
Saturday, December 9.
i „ , __ ___ ,
KELLOGG'S CEREALS
-
COM PLETE
B R A N FLAKES
£ A 4 Û
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EUnSaD
You’re Invited
The morning begins w ith tree planting (meet at the Albina
A PPLE JACKS
rn-ECTivr nôv Í7 through DC¿ 3,
Pacific Power & Friends of Trees have
teamed up to sponsor a “GreenStreet" tree
planting. It’s part o f a day-long celebration
of the Alberta Street Renaissance.
Community Bank, 1130 NE Alberta). Then, from noon 'til
7 p.m. a Community Expo unfolds at the Texas Annex, 1625
NE Alberta featuring live blues &. jazz, food and informational
booths.
taas
)
rv I uoq
A Community Effort
This special day for Alberta Street is supported by Concordia
Neighborhood Association; King Neighhorhtxxl Association,
O AM E, Sabin Community Development Corporation, House of
Umoja and Vernon Neighhorhtxxl Association.
on ONE 17.3 ox.
Complet»’
Bran Flakes cereal ONLY.
GreenStreet: For the Neighborhood
Pacific Power’s GreenStreet program is designed to give
commercial streets in Northeast Portland both an economic
and environmental boost. The expertise o f Friends of Trees
ensures a successful planting. We hope you can attend.
To volunteer call 282-8846.
SERVE THE ^ p m / U ^ F F r c r rro r
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SPEC A S NOV
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IVE TUESDAY
DEC 3 through
1995 SUNDAY
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TOR YOURNEARESTKIENOWS STORE CALL: «5S-S220
HOME DELIVERY IS AVAILABLE CALL: 245-4595
AACIFIC POWER
THT RIGHT KIND O f CNfRGY
A Division of PacifiCorp