M a r tin L u t h e r K ing J r .
lanuary 14, 2009
Page B 15
2009 special edition
/ just want to do God's
will. And he's
^
i allowed me to go to
I the mountain. And
I I've looked over, and
I've seen the
promised land! I may not
get there with you, but I
want you to know tonight
that we as a people will get
to the promised land.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
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photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Roz Babener started the Community Warehouse, a local resource o f donated household amenities for
families down on their luck.
Warehouse follows the King's Dream
Helping the
poor get by
through hard
economic times
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
M artin L uther K ing Jr. was
inclusive, and w anted to raise
the standard o f living for all
peo p le, reg ard less o f b ack ­
ground. T he aim o f P o rtla n d 's
C o m m u n ity W a re h o u se is
sim ilar, as it seeks to provide
b asic n e c e ssitie s to p eo p le
needing a leg up.
L ocated on N orth Interstate
A ven u e, the facility sees a
steady stream o f trucks and
cars tric k le s in as w o rk ers
haul in chairs, tables, m at­
tresses and a num ber o f other
goods. '
A lthough the scene looks
like it could be any com m er­
cial storage facility, it isn't.
T h e C om m unity W arehouse
p rovides h o usehold am enities
so basic that they can easily be
tak en for g ranted by m ost. But
for m any fam ilies and indi­
vidual it can m ake a house a
hom e.
C o m m u n ity W a re h o u s e
serves about 65 households
every w eek by providing re­
q u ested h o usehold item s like
fu rniture, sheets, and silver­
w are, and o th er basic ho u se­
hold goods according to R oz
B a b e n e r, a v o lu n te e r an d
fo u n d er o f the organization.
M an y o f th e se h o u se h o ld s
are fa m ilie s d o w n on th e ir
lu ck an d try in g to re c o v e r.
S om e are h o u se h o ld s he ad ed
by a w o m an fle e in g an a b u ­
siv e re la tio n sh ip . O th e rs are
m e n ta lly ill o r h o m e le s s
peo p le g e ttin g a place o f th e ir
ow n.
G e ttin g p e o p le w h o 'v e
taken hard stum bles back on
th eir feet requires serious e f­
forts in the w ay o f jo b s, hous­
ing, and counseling, but som e­
tim es the sm aller details can
be big stum bling blocks.
“W ithout som ething like the
w arehouse they'd be eating
and sleeping on the floor for
m onths,” said B abener.
She explained that stability
and fam iliarity are essential
for the recovery o f m ental 1 y i 11
people w ho've been on the
streets. H aving a furnished
apartm ent can help provide
that and keep them stable.
B abener recalls one story
she heard from a client o f a
young boy w ho seem ed d is­
tracted and struggled in school.
He m ade a sudden turnaround
after his fam ily acquired a
sim ple item : a lam p. T he boy
couldn't study at hom e b e­
cause o f a basic lack o f light.
C o m m u n ity W a re h o u se ,
w hich has been in existence
for about seven years, relies
on people to donate furniture
and o th er household goods.
S om etim es hotels will donate
a bonanza o f item s w hen they
decide to renovate and need to
som ething w ith the old item s.
continued
Singer James Brown (left) walks with his agent,
the Rev. Al Sharpton, from the White House in
Washington on Jan. 15, 1982. They met with
U.S. President Ronald Reagan to advocate
making Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a
national holiday.
on page BIS
Building Partnerships to Build O ur Community
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Of
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is evident in BLM— in its
lands and resources, programs, and
workforce.
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For subcontracting and employment opportunities,
contact Carolyn W ilson at 503-793-6824.
A s
Si A' » UNITED
Un
Of 0 • t
NINKA-BLY
fr e e d o m
•
fai, play
Black United Fund of Oregon's
12th annual community banquet
oceeds go towards scholarships for African-American High School Seniors and
non-orofit oraanizations serving Oregon's low-income communities.
D îV e R I I T y
United States Department of the Interior
Wednesday, February 1 9 ,2 0 0 9
6:00pm Reception & Silent Auction - 7:00pm Dinner
The Governor Hotel, Heritage Ballroom
614 SW 11th and Alder
good ttongs
$80.00 Der oerson / $800.00 per table of ten
M ntm g Sponsor
Bureau of Land Management
For more info., to purchase tickets or to sponsor the banquet, please visit our website at
www.or.blm.gov
or contact Christina Jenkins at cjenkins@bufor.org or (5 0 3) 282-7973.
/
www.bufor.org
“