HELPING HAND. Community leaders gathered at Portland’s Peninsula Park this month as part of Portland Public Schools (PPS) and Portland Parks & Recreation’s summer lunch program. Peninsula Park is one of 24 designated summer lunch sites located throughout the PPS district. (AR Photo/Julie Stegeman)

From The Asian Reporter, V19, #28 (July 21, 2009), page 9.

By Julie Stegeman

Community leaders gathered at Peninsula Park this month to draw attention to Portland’s increasing numbers of families who are homeless or in need, highlight services designed to help them, and encourage community members to become involved in lending a hand.

City of Portland commissioner Nick Fish, Multnomah County commissioner Deborah Kafoury, and Portland School Board member Martín González joined together with Portland Public Schools (PPS) and Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) staff to serve lunches to children at the park, one of 24 designated summer lunch sites located throughout the PPS district.

The event spotlighted the release of a PPS report — "Portland Homeless Student Count 2008-09" — which found 1,706 students enrolled at PPS experienced homelessness during the past school year. This is a significant increase from last year’s report, which identified 1,232 PPS students as homeless.

The report includes students living in shelters, transitional housing, or shared housing; unsheltered students (such as those living in parks or cars); and a small number living in motels or hotels. Homelessness spans all grade levels, from pre-K to 12, with the highest numbers this past school year occurring in the third, ninth, 10th, and 12th grades.

"Our economic challenges are daunting, but to let children bear the brunt of them is unconscionable," said Fish. "We can and must step forward to provide a safety net for our children."

The summer lunch program, which is provided through a partnership between PPS and PP&R, is designed to provide nutritious meals to youth while school is out of session. In addition to meals, the program offers free activities for kids, including board games, arts and crafts, field games, and more. The program began June 22 and runs through August 13.

Last year, the program served more than 4,000 lunches each day. Demand for the program — which has been available to disadvantaged youth in the area for more than 30 years — is expected to increase this year with Oregon’s rising unemployment rate and depressed economy.

Lunch program staff believe they have noticed a difference this year. On a recent Thursday at Peninsula Park, they handed out an amazing 80 lunches in 15 minutes and ran out of food. "A lot of people depend on the lunches," said Maria Elena Alvarado, one of the PPS staff members working at the program.

Happy smiles and choruses of "thank you" greeted the staff and community leaders as they handed out lunches, which on this particular day included a choice of a peanut butter or turkey sandwich, applesauce, yogurt, fruit, and cookies. Children were reminded to wash up before taking their lunches to the available picnic tables and afterward most jumped up to play in the park’s playground.

Fish, Kafoury, and González are encouraging members of the community to become involved to help disadvantaged youth. One way to do this is to volunteer to serve summer lunches. To learn more, call Steve Pixley at (503) 823-5121. A list of other volunteer or donation opportunities can be found at <www.portlandonline.com/bettertogether>.

For those in need of assistance, the summer food program is offered daily at more than 59 locations in Multnomah County for youth age 18 and younger. Locations can be found by calling 1-800-723-3638. Other help — including resources for food, clothing, shelters, health, employment, and more — can be obtained by calling 211 or visiting <www.211info.org>.