Dear friend,
In July of 2020, First Presbyterian Church of Portland (FPC) granted Capital Campaign Mission Giving funds to Lift UP to adopt the Alder House Apartments, a low-income building in SW Portland with 131 single room apartments prioritizing transitional housing for people experiencing houselessness or residents with income less than 60% of the Area Median Income.
Together we collaborated on opening an Emergency Food Closet, housed temporarily in the Julia West Building across the street, serving the residents in Alder House. Opened in December 2020, the Alder House EFC has been run by volunteers from FPC and has provided twice-weekly access to shelf-stable pantry goods on an as-needed basis.
Mel Shea, the Resident Services Coordinator at Alder House, shared that COVID-19 created additional food security challenges for residents. With many pantries closing during the pandemic, there was a rise in food scarcity. Due to resident’s compromised immune systems, their opportunity to leave the apartment complex was dramatically reduced. For this reason, Lift UP’s Delivered Food Boxes and Emergency Food Closet were a lifeline for Alder House residents over the past year. The boxes for Alder House Residents are modified to best meet their needs, as individual units in the building do not have stoves or ovens.
“Residents are grateful for the food they receive from Lift UP. They look forward to receiving the Delivered Food Boxes and really appreciate the high quality of the food, especially the Grand Central Bakery bread. Residents appreciate that Lift UP meets their dietary restrictions because other food partners aren’t able to meet these needs. There is also a real sense of community, with residents sharing food from their boxes with their neighbors and sharing ideas about how to prepare the food they receive.”
-Mel Shea, Alder House Resident Services Coordinator
In the first year of partnership with FPC, Lift UP was able to connect 137 Delivered Food Boxes with residents in need, as well as provide 1,575 pounds of food to stock the Emergency Food Closet in the Julia West Building.
In July 2021, FPC renewed their commitment to continuing to support the residents of Alder House Apartments. We’re grateful to have FPC as part of the Lift UP community. Thank you to First Presbyterian for helping us reduce hunger and build community among our Portland neighbors!
Debi's Story
Debi, one of our most valued and cherished volunteers, was generous enough to share the story of how she became involved with Lift UP for our annual event, Making Connections. From accessing Preston's Pantry as a client to investing her time as a volunteer, Debi showed us that access to healthy, nutritious food truly makes a significant impact.
Thank you, Debi, for all of the support, care, and kindness you have for the Lift UP community!
Gratefully,
The Lift UP Team
Food brings us together!
