Esther's Pantry - You Can Help
It's something most of us take for granted but many people do not have enough food. Some are living in our community, living with HIV/AIDS and not receiving proper nutrition . At Esther's Pantry we are serving a record number of people but our food supply is very low. We need your help to ensure all our clients receive a balanced food supply to last them through each month. It's easy to help. You can donate nonperishable food at any of our drop off sites:
Our House - 2727 SE Alder Street, Portland
Q Center - 69 SE Taylor Ave at SE Water Avenue, Portland
Starky's - 2913 SE Stark Street, Portland
Just Out - 6234 N Greeley, Portland
Want to do more? We can drop off a collection barrel and you can hold a food drive at your office, church or community group. It's great team-building and a wonderful way to fill the shelves at Esther's Pantry.
If you have additional questions contact John via email: joules@ourhouseofportland.org or call him at 503-595-6128. Thank you for your help!
20 Years of Our House
Since 1988, Our House has provided housing and specialized services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The efforts of a small group of concerned Portlanders, who read a story in The Oregonian about a homeless man with AIDS who died alone on the streets, soon turned into a five-bed care facility called Our House. During the early 1990s, Our House focused on providing palliative care and grief counseling, but today our services are greatly expanded. We now provide skilled Nursing Care, Social Services and Occupational Therapy, all designed to help residents meet their goal of what “living well” means to them.
"Our House gave me what I needed to regain my strength and get back on my feet,” says Lloyd, a former resident. “Now I am back living with my partner in our home in Astoria and I feel useful and productive again and I could not have done it without the services and staff at Our House.” Lloyd is just one example of the many residents who have gone on to live independently. Many residents leave Our House and participate in The Neighborhood Housing and Care Program (NHCP). Introduced in 2004, NHCP provides Nursing Care, Occupational Therapy, and Social Work services to those who want to live in their home, but still require a moderate level of support.
Swan House also became a program of Our House in 2004. Located in Milwaukie, Swan House residents live in a group setting and receive assistance with personal care, meals, mobility, transportation, medication management and more. Most recently, Esther’s Pantry and Tod’s Corner became programs of Our House in 2007, rounding out our continuum of care by providing food and personal care items for people with HIV/AIDS.
Our House will continue to provide HIV/AIDS services for as long as they are needed. Our goal is to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate what the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS will be in the future and work to provide those services. We want to thank everyone who has been a part of ensuring our mission of “inspiring people with HIV/AIDS to live well” for over 20 years. “Where we are today in the fight against AIDS has shown me we can truly make a difference in people’s lives when we set our mind to it,” says long-time board member Gary Maffei. “and we all will have a little pride in knowing that we helped.”
