News

Neighborhood House – A Shelter from the Storm

October 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Abby Branstein
    Neighborhood House
PHONE: 502-774-2322 ext. 226
EMAIL: abranstein@nhky.org

Thankfully, Neighborhood House suffered very little damage in the 2008 windstorm and was therefore able to stay open and expand services to the city. Neighborhood House provided emergency services to many in the community struggling without power – those who had no way to prepare meals and those who lost food, with few or no resources for replenishing food to meet their basics needs. Pam Rice, Executive Director of Neighborhood House said, “We were asked to go above and beyond our normal scope of services to serve people who would normally be helped by other agencies. These were responsibilities we were glad to take on.”

Thanks to several good neighbors, (Dare to Care Food Bank, Metro United Way, Scott Williamson, UPS, and Neighborhood House board, staff and youth members) Neighborhood House was able to serve an additional 1,000 people in the week following the storm.

Dare to Care Food Bank asked Neighborhood House to serve as a primary site for food distribution, as we were one of only eight of the Food Banks open (normally there are 33). Rice said they provided emergency food to 255 families or roughly 830 individuals during the 8 weekdays following the storm, (typically they serve about 300 families a month).

Neighborhood House became the distribution center for the west end home delivered meals as the other three Metro Government Nutrition sites were without power. Rice said they normally deliver about 12 meals a day to homebound seniors. During the week following the storm, over 520 meals were delivered to homebound seniors.

Rice responded to a growing demand in the community and the number of days their Portland neighbors were without power. With the support of Dare to Care, they expanded their normal Kid’s Café on Thursday, September 18, to serve any person/any age. In addition, they opened on Friday, September 19, to again serve a hot meal to any hungry person. Rice said they served a hot meal to at least 445 people during those two nights. Rice said, “We at Neighborhood House want to always be able to respond to emergencies and the needs we have in our community.”

About Neighborhood House

Neighborhood House, established in 1896, is a community-based organization providing programs and services which enhance the quality of life for individuals of all ages in the Portland area. Our programs focus on educational enhancement, civic responsibility, cultural enrichment, health promotion, social skills development, and employment opportunity and training.