Ways To Help Those In Need In Portland And Vancouver This Holiday Season

If there is ever a time to find ways to help those in need this holiday season, this is the year! Though Covid has placed a lot of restrictions on how everyone is used to doing things, there are still non-profits who are doing everything they can to make sure that those in need are well taken care of, all while keeping everyone safe. This small list of nonprofits that serves our NW region are just a few of many that aim to help those in need in Portland and Vancouver this holiday season.

Hands On Portland

Hands on Portland is a nonprofit organization that connects you with multiple opportunities where you can volunteer your time and skills within the greater Portland metro area. Through their website, you will find a calendar full of projects where you or your family can volunteer your time or donate to help those in need over the holidays. Serving meals through places like Blanchet House, visiting their project calendar to see how you can help with their ‘done in a day’ volunteer opportunities, crafting for newborns that are in special need and serving with local city parks and recreation on projects that need extra hands are just some of the many opportunities one can find when looking to serve Portland this holiday season. Hands on Portland is community driven and believes that by doing good a community can be transformed for the better. If you are looking for ways to help others this holiday season in the Portland area, visit their website at handsonportland.org.

Portland Homeless Family Solutions

Portland Homeless Family Solutions is a nonprofit organization that helps families with children get back on their feet. They have a strong conviction when it comes to seeing families who are either homeless or about to become homeless, be compassionately supported by offering financial aid to prevent a homeless situation from happening or temporary housing until families can provide themselves a home. They partner with a handful of local partners and supporters to ensure that these families are not just well taken care of but given everything they need in order to get a permanent roof back over their head and a chance to thrive. Through a willingness to make a difference, education and the support of those who give their time and resources; Portland Homeless Family Solutions has been able to impact hundreds of families and their children. If you are interested in finding out more about Portland Homeless Family Solutions visit their website at pdxhfs.org.

NW Children’s Outreach

Northwest Children’s Outreach is a nonprofit corporation that believes in helping children by providing them their most basic needs. Through years of generous donations they have been able to help almost 50,000 children in need by functioning as a collection and distribution center that distributes all the needed items to other local care providers who give directly to the children. Through the help of volunteers who have organized drives through their offices, schools and churches; NW Children’s Outreach has been able to make an astounding impact on the Pacific Northwest region since March of 2001. Ben Kinney Team and Keller Williams Realty are just one of the many local offices in Vancouver, Washington that have partnered with NW Children’s Outreach to ensure children are kept warm this winter season. By starting an annual coat drive 4 years ago, they have been able to collect hundreds of coats for all ages with each year surpassing the last. This year will be no different and a collection site at Activate Church in Camas, Washington has even been started to aid in their efforts. As the mission of NW Children’s Outreach states, ‘the desire is to stand in the gap for children, helping them to meet their needs and the needs of their families’. If you are interested in helping with this mission you can visit nwchildrens.org or contact Jacquelline Smith at jacqueline@benkinneyteam.com

Live Love NW

Live Love NW is a nonprofit organization that has served the Portland metro, Vancouver region since 2011. Their mission is to distribute resources through community members and partners in order to care for foster children, the homeless, survivors of sex trafficking, underserved youth, families in need and their city community. One of the current programs operating through Live Love NW is the Live Love Christmas program which collects gifts and donations to be given to children who would otherwise go without. By partnering with local schools and DHS offices, Live Love Christmas is able to provide gifts for families who are in great need; serving over 7,000 children and giving away 42,000 gifts and counting! The heart of Live Love NW is to connect people who are struggling to a community of support that provides free resources and services that address immediate and long-term needs. Over 1000 lbs. of food is distributed to those in need in the Portland metro area alone through this organization’s effort to serve their community. If you are interested in finding ways to get involved with Live Love NW visit their web page at livelovenw.org.

Share Vancouver

Share Vancouver is a nonprofit organization that started with the common goal of helping homeless men and women in need who were often overlooked by society and peers. Their mission is to guide the hungry and homeless to self sufficiency by providing food, shelter, education, advocacy, compassion and housing. For over 40 years Share Vancouver has worked hard to create programs that would empower men, women and children in their efforts to establish themselves within society. Programs like Rent Well and IDA (Individual Development Program) have all been created to help those struggling, get back on their feet and thrive. Share Hot Meals and Share Backpack Program are other programs where Share Vancouver has been able to meet the needs of families within the city of Vancouver. Their vision is to see a community without hunger, where everyone can have a safe place to sleep and enhance their quality of life. By creating well organized programs with specific goals in helping the community, Share Vancouver has been able to provide countless resources to those in need. Programs like Share ASPIRE, a transitional and permanent housing program, have been able to serve an average of 138 households a month and the Share Backpack program has been able to provide over 66,000 bags of food to almost 2,000 children within 90 schools. If you want to learn more and connect with the mission of Share Vancouver, visit their website at sharevancouver.org.

If you’re looking for ways to help those in need in Portland and Vancouver this holiday season you will not find yourself short of opportunities. A simple search on Google will lead you to a wide variety of organizations where you can volunteer your time or give financial support. With the end of the year approaching we are all looking forward to a new year and what better way to end this one than to serve those around you. May the rest of your year be merry and bright and may you find yourself thankful for all that you have!