May 20, 2020
Page 5
Restaurants in Crisis Feed Hungry
the homeless community. Thanks
to this we are able to keep our
shelter teams and make sure our
doors open and continue to grow
shelter guests had plenty of deli-
and continue to serve food for
cious food.”
people. Gracias,” a statement
With Gov. Kate Brown’s Stay
from the company said.
Home, Stay Safe order for restau-
Staff from the Human Solu-
rants to offer only takeout, many
tions’ emergency shelters says
restaurants have had to close and
the program is a game changer.
may not survive. Hardest hit are
Tamara
often family owned restaurants
Holloway, who manages Lilac
in less prosperous areas like east
Meadows near Southeast 82nd
Portland.
and Powell Boulevard said, “Our
Receiving $5.50 for 180 meals
shelter team is doing amazing
frontline work right now during
the COVID pandemic. When a
hot, ready-to-serve dinner is de-
livered by a volunteer driver from
a local restaurant, our staff and
shelter residents feel cared for by
our community. We couldn’t be
more grateful for this delicious
food and all the donations we have
been getting from everyone in our
incredible community. Thanks to
each and every one of you. We are
for sure stronger together.”
The teams at Human Solutions
and The Rosewood Initiative are
looking to grow the program by
inviting the community to invest
so they can feed more vulnerable
people and support more local
businesses. To make a contribu-
tion online, visit
Salvador Arreola and Oscar Ocampos of Nelly’s Taqueria in east
charity.gofundme.com/o/en/
Portland prepare weekly dinners for the residents of Human
Solutions’ two emergency shelters, Lilac Meadows for Families and campaign/send-a-meal-support-
a-rosewood-business.
the Gresham Women’s Shelter.
C ontinued froM P age 3
each week adds up for these small
businesses. Right now, the effort
costs $8,000/month for 1,450
meals; each restaurant earns
$4,000 each month. Volunteer
drivers transport the food from the
restaurants to both shelters in time
for dinner.
Nelly’s Taqueria was happy for
the opportunity.
“Nelly’s Taqueria is really
grateful to have gotten the oppor-
tunity to work with Rosewood on
such a great program to cater to
Paul Knauls Sr. and his late wife Geneva Knauls, were the found-
ers of Geneva’s, which became a center for African American life
in the heart of Portland’s historic black community, drawing a loyal
and expansive customer base that included Portland Trail Blazers,
dignitaries and extended family members.
Geneva’s Closed for Good
C ontinued froM f ront
Knauls Sr. and his late wife Ge-
neva Knauls, were the founders of
Geneva’s, which became a center
for African American life in the
heart of Portland’s historic black
community, drawing a loyal and ex-
pansive customer base that included
Portland Trail Blazers, dignitaries
and extended family members.
The Knauls family still owns the
property where Geneva’s is located
and said they plan to lease the build-
ing named for Geneva Knauls to
another African American business
to keep its historic ties to the com-
munity preserved for future gener-
ations.
Paul Knauls Sr. told the Portland
Observer he’s going to miss his cus-
tomers and staff the most, and all
the people he enjoyed seeing on al-
most a seven days a week basis. But
at 89-years old, the elder Knauls,
affectionately known as the “May-
or of Northeast Portland,” says he’s
ready to slow down.
Knauls said he’s a happy man as
he looks back at how both he and his
wife were married for 50 years and
had successful careers, including
ownership of the former Cotton Club
in Portland and Geneva’s Restaurant
and Lounge. He said they got their
start in the personal care business
by shining shoes in Arkansas before
moving to Portland.