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Volume LII • Number 18
‘City
of
Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • September 21, 2022
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Starting Students Off on the Right Foot
Nordstrom Kicks Off
12th Annual Giving
Campaign to Shoes
That Fit with $1
Million Goal
Nordstrom teamed up with Nike and
Shoes That Fit to donate 40,000 shoes
for kids in need. From August 11 through
October 15, we're inviting customers to
participate in our 12th annual Shoes That
Fit giving campaign with a goal of rais-
ing $1 million.
A shoe delivery event was hosted at Dr.
Martin Luther King Elementary school.
The event included free Nikes for all stu-
dents, gift bags for the kids, a DJ and a spe-
cial appearance from soccer star Crystal
Dunn from the US Women’s National Soc-
cer Team and the Portland Thorns. Nord-
strom employees helped kids get fitted for
their sneakers.
Each fall, Nordstrom looks forward to
helping kids start off the school year on the
right foot. This year reaches an exciting
milestone, providing more than 300,000
pairs of brand-new, properly fitting athletic
shoes to kids in the local communities we
serve since 2010.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary
of Shoes That Fit, Nordstrom is looking
forward to raising the bar with our big-
gest giving campaign to date. "Giving
Photo credit to Shawntell Washington
King Elementary students pose with soccer star Crystal Dunn, Amy Fass, CEO of Shoes That Fit, Tacey Powers, Executive Vice
President, General Merchandising Manager at Nordstrom and Jen Ewell, Brand Marketing Director at Nike
back to the community has been rooted in
our 121-year history, since our beginnings
as a shoe store," said Jamie Nordstrom,
chief stores officer at Nordstrom. "Help-
ing to provide for the basic needs of chil-
dren and families is core to who we are at
Nordstrom. We're excited to team up with
Shoes That Fit and Nike to help kids start
the school year feeling comfortable, con-
fident and ready to learn."
"Shoes That Fit is honored to partner
with Nordstrom and to continue growing
the partnership to provide shoes to more
children who need them," says Amy Fass,
CEO and Executive Director of Shoes That
Fit. "Their core values of family, integrity
and respect fit hand in glove with our own-
-they know how important it is to invest in
a child's dignity. And the kids love Nike!
They truly understand the joy and confi-
dence that these shoes inspire."
Rent Cap Increase for Oregon Renters
Evictions have
increased statewide
A 'Now Leasing' sign hangs off an apartment building staircase in southeast
Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2021. (AP-Sara cline)
According to State officials the 2023
rent cap in Oregon will be 14.6%.The news
comes as statewide evictions are increas-
ing and the pandemic tenant protections
are coming to an end on September 30.
Rent in the coming year for a $2,000-per-
month unit may be increased by $292
monthly under the 2023 cap. Those who
live in the city of Portland may be eligi-
ble for relocation assistance depending on
how much their rent goes up. As soon as
next month, renters could receive notice of
a massive rent increase.
Many Oregon families lack an afford-
able and safe place to call home, this an-
nouncement marks a very real threat of
increased housing instability and home-
lessness among those with below income
living wages. Kim McCarty, Executive Di-
rector of Community Alliance of Tenants
whose organization’s Renters’ Rights Ho-
tline has experienced an increase in calls
since the pandemic. McCarty stated “Peo-
ple with housing who are just barely mak-
ing it are already terrified of being forced
to live in cars or in tents and their fears are
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