Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 07, 2001, Page 6, Image 6

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    Page A6
March 7,2001
¿Ttje ^ìurtlanò (Dhemwr
Portland Area Students Gather Food Donations
Portland and Washington County Public Schools
Fight Hunger with Project Second Wind
Some things are tough to
quantify, but there’s no doubt
that students in more than 100
local schools will meet anyone’s
standards for caring, com pas­
sion and dedication to com m u­
nity service.
Area students expect to raise
the equivalent o f nearly 300,000
pounds o f food during the 30,h
Annual Project Second Wind
Food Drive, held this week in
most Portland Public Schools
and Washington County schools.
Portland area emergency food
agencies report continued in­
creases in the number o f people
they serve, including more work­
ing families, women and chil­
dren.
Project Second W ind will
help restock the food bank’s
stores o f healthy non-perishable
foods for distribution to these
direct-service agencies.
“For 30 years, w e’ve counted
on Project Second W ind to pro­
vide the first m ajor wave o f
com m unity support each new
year,” says Oregon Food Bank
E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r R ach el
Bristol.
“ The event is particularly
important right now, as high
demand prevented most food
pantries from keeping a hold­
over supply o f food from holi­
day food drives. M any are run­
ning on em pty.”
Kids will collect food at home
and in their neighborhoods, en­
tering into competition with other
schools and classroom s.
Cash contributions are also
accepted. Cash donations help
Oregon Food Bank access and
transport large-scale donations
o f food from the food industry.
Project Second W ind concen­
trates on kids helping kids. One
in five children in Am erica live
in poverty.
In O regon and Clark County,
210,000 kids received em er­
gency food boxes last year.
A curriculum p rep ared by
ed u cato rs and classroom p re ­
sen tatio n s also help kids learn
a b o u t h u n g e r a n d its ro o t
c a u se s.
AFFORDABLE HEALTH
CARE PLAN
Performance Buys Pianos for Area Groups
Dental, Vision, Pharmacy,
Orthodontic, Chiroparatic
Medical A n d ...... More
For More Information:
Call 503-288-1140
Ask for Maudie White, Plan Broker
JOB FAIR
Part-Time Employment Opportunities in
Schnitzer Concert Hall. The event raised $130,000fo r new pianos at Holy Redeemer School, Friends o f the Children, New Avenues fo r Youth,
St. Mary 's Home fo r Boys, Kids on the Block and the Boys and Girls Club. The money will also go toward scholarships and music lessons fo r
children. Pictured (from left) are Julianne Johnson, Benjamin Kim, Michael Allen Harrison, Alexx Carnathan, Mike Hasson, Craig Walker,
Tom Grant, John Nilsen and Andrei Kitaev.
(P hotograph by J on D ishler )
• Guest Services
• Operations
T IM B E R S
r
Portland M arriott D ow ntow n
1401 SW N aito Parkw ay
Sat., M arch 17, 2001
10:00 am - 3 :00 pm
Tips on Beating the High Cost of Energy
B i S i a i y M qe ,
B etter B usiness B lreal
AsCalifomia weathers rollingblack-
outs, and higher energy costs loom on
the horizon in the N orthwest, there are
som e pro-active steps consumers can
take to help reduce the costs o f energy.
The Better Business Bureau and the
Federal TradeCommissionrecommend
conducting an “energy audit” to help
ascertain the efficiency o f your heat­
ing and insulation. You m ay w ant to
check if your local utility com pany
offers low cost energy audits, or, you
can conduct one o f your ow n by:
•C heck your attic, attic stairway,
attached garage w alls and basem ent to
m ake sure your hom e is insulated to
the levels the D epartm ent o f Energy
recom m ends for your area. W hen in­
specting and buying home insulation
products look for the R-value. The
higher the R-value, the greater the in­
sulating power.
•W rap your hot w ater heater in an
insulatingjacket.
•Schedule an annual inspection for
your heat pump, furnace, or boiler.
Y our utility company m ay provide this
service.
•Hire a professional to seal and
insulate leaky ducts and to ensure that
the airflow distribution system serv­
ing your heating equipm ent is operat­
ing at peak efficiency.
•Clean o r replace filters on forced
air-furnaces; seal flues in fireplaces
you don’t use, install drapes or some
other covering on windows; and seal
holes around plum bing and heating
pipes.
• Check caulking and weather-strip-
ping, and repair where necessary.
•Close your foundation vents in
the winter if there ’ s a crawl space under
your home.
The BBB recommends contacting
your local utility com pany to inquire
about their services and for further
information about energy efficiency.
Before hiring contractors to install or
service a heating system, or to perform
energy saving hom e improvements,
check on their reliability. The Better
Business Bureau provides reliability
reports, and you m ay check with state
agencies to verify that contractors and
com panies are properly licensed and
bonded. Check any door to door
“handym an” before engaging then-
services.
H om e bound seniors, among oth­
ers, may be targets for door to door
laborers that ask for money up-front
for work only to take offwith the money
or provide shoddy materials and work­
manship. Consum ers are also advised
to exercise caution when offered en­
ergy saving products, gadgets, or ser­
vices. Be w ary o f exaggerated adver­
tising claims that promise a huge re­
duction in energy costs.
Consumers can contact the Better
Business Bureau’s inOregonat503-226-
3981, and in Western Washington at206-
43 l-2222,andtheFederalTradeCommis-
sionat 1-877-382-4357.
• Concessions
• Retail
Job Hotline
503-553-5550
“ My mama loves me so much,
she protects me from colds,
ear infections, headaches,
asthma attacks and even cancer
without lifting a finger.”
Senator Urges Black Students to Help Others
D eterm ination and selfless giv­
ing w ere the them es o f a speech by
state Sen. M argaretC arter, D-Port-
land, before m em bers o fth e Black
Students U nion at the U niversity
o f O regon. Inciting action on the
p art o f students to m ake a differ­
ence in the w orld, C arter suddenly
burst into song at the end o f her
speech.
“I f I can help som ebody, it
sh a ll n o t be v a in ,” sh e sang.
A bout 60 students and university
leaders in the audience applauded.
C a rter w as the keynote sp eak er at
the “C elebrating B lack A chieve­
m en t N ight” at the UO. T he event,
sp o n so re d b y the u n iv e rs ity ’s
B lack Students U nion, w as p art o f
B lack H istory M onth. T he U O ’ s
I
c e le b ra tio n o f B lac k H isto ry
M onth. The UO G ospel Ensem ble
p e rfo rm e d a n d s tu d e n ts an d
people influential in the black com ­
m unity in Lane C ounty w ere rec­
ognized.
C arter, w ho grew up in the seg­
regated South and m oved to O r­
egon in 1967, urged students in
the audience to keep education a
priority in their lives. She said the
w ay to develop a m ore equal soci­
ety for people o f color is for stu­
dents to share their education with
others. “ It’s im portant to rem em ­
ber that education is som ething
that ’ s to be defined by you,” Carter
said. “Education will not take place
betw een these four w alls in this
institution. Do not get your edu­
1
cation for your ow n personal ben­
efit, but for your ow n nation be­
cause the nation needs it.”
In addition to her w ork as a
senator, C arter is ch ief executive
o f the Portland U rban League.
C arter said that w hen she ran
for the L egislature in 1984, she
was told she w ould never win
because she was a black woman.
A black w om an had never before
been elected to the H ouse o f Rep­
resen tativ es, b u t she said she
d id n 't let that stop her. She was
elected that year and served for 7
sessions in the H ouse before be­
ing elected to the Senate in N o­
vem ber. “ You m ust not let jeers
and snickers pull you aside from
your goal,” C arter said
How? Josiah's mother doesn't smoke and doesn't allow
secondhand smoke in her home. If you smoke, take it
outside. Or better yet, consider quitting.
For help, call the Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP
or The African American Health Coalition at 503-413-1850
A message from
Multnomah County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
African American Health Coalition