We often think of giving around the holidays, but there are many very deserving Portland charities that desperately need help all year round. Many organizations are in especially great need of financial help right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are seeing a huge increase in need. Many of these organizations will likely need substantial support for months to come in order to help all of the people in need.

If you have the financial resources to give, please consider some of these local charities. When we help them, we help our neighbors and strengthen our community.

Portland Rescue Mission

Portland Rescue Mission offers food, shelter, and clothing for those who don’t have a home. They also offer mail service, a chapel, and restrooms (with showers), which are services that can be hard for those without a home to find. They also offer referrals for resources in the area, like treatment programs, medical providers, employment programs, and more.

Portland Rescue Mission has an overnight shelter, a winter shelter, and also an extended shelter for those who are transitioning toward permanent housing. The Portland Rescue Mission offers hot meals in these shelters every single day of the year. 

This organization receives no government funding and can always use your financial support to fund the vital services it offers the people of Portland. You can also volunteer your time or donate food, socks, or blankets (which are always in high demand).  Just $12 provides a night of care, including a meal, a shower, and clean clothes. Please consider making a difference now.

Portland Homeless Family Solutions

Portland Homeless Family Solutions works with local congregations and shelters in the community to fill a vitally important need: they work to find housing for families who have been turned away at homeless shelters that are overcrowded, which happens all too often. 

They also provide rental assistance and casement management for up to a year to help families keep their housing long-term. This may include paying security deposits, moving costs, or back rent for families in danger of losing housing.

Portland Homeless Family Solutions also offers adult education classes so adults can learn new skills that will help them succeed in the real world. 

If you’d like to donate to Portland Homeless Family Solutions, just go here.

Oregon Food Bank

The Oregon Food Bank has two main locations where those in need can pick up food. However, the Oregon Food bank also partners with 21 locations throughout the city. This makes it easy for people to pick up food no matter where they live. 

Oregon Food Bank collects food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals, and government sources. That food is distributed by the food bank through a statewide network of regional food banks and 1,200 food assistance sites serving all of Oregon and Clark County, Washington. 

The food bank also works tirelessly to eliminate hunger in Oregon by addressing its root causes though public policy work, nutrition and garden education, and public awareness. They champion self-reliance and combat systems that lead to food insecurity.

To donate to the food bank, go here. 93% of your donation goes direclty to hunger-relief activities. 

Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children is a revolutionary mentoring program for children that began by serving 24 children back in 1993. Today, they serve around 500 children in our area, working to empower youth who face the biggest obstacles in life.

Children learn the needs and perspective they need to be successful in adulthood and can avoid substance abuse, dropping out of school, incarceration, and teen parenting through this program. The program’s salaried professional mentors are with the children from kindergarten through graduation, no matter what. This is a long-term deal. 

• 83% of their youth graduate from high school
• 95% avoid the criminal justice system
• 98% wait until adulthood to have children

To donate to this unwavering commitment, just go here.

Loaves & Fishes Center

The Loaves and Fishes Center is dedicated to enriching the lives of our senior citizens and helping them maintain their independence and way of life. This includes making and serving nutritious food but also helping them maintain social interaction and prevent isolation, something that is all too common with our senior citizens.

Loaves & Fishes serves meals each weekday at centers throughout Multnomah, Washington, and Clark counties. The majority of its support comes from dozens of charitable foundations, and individual support like yours.

To donate a meal, go here! 

Oregon Humane Society

The Oregon Humane Society is the largest humane society in the northwest and the fourth-oldest humane society in the country. It adopts more animals out from its Portland shelter than any other single-facility shelter in the West Coast. There are no time limits for how long animals can stay at the shelter—they can be there as long as it takes to find a loving home. If a pet needs medical attention, they receive top-notch veterinary care. 

The Oregon Humane Society homes more than 11,000 pets each year and provides free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for thousands of pets for families who need assistance. The society is also the driving force behind laws that protect animals and punish those who hurt them.

They do not receive any tax dollars and rely on your donations, which you can make here.

JOIN

JOIN is here to support both individuals and families as they leave homelessness and transition into permanent housing. They primarily focus on people who are sleeping outside or in cars. 83% of the people they help stay in their new housing, and the retention team visits people in their new homes to help address any needs or concerns.

JOIN also delivers food boxes, helps people find jobs, helps people find medical and mental health services, and provides a variety of other support as people leave homelessness behind.

They also serve people in their day space, which includes showers, a mailing address, a laundromat, clothing and hygiene supplies, and a place to sit and drink a warm cup of coffee.

You can make a donation to JOIN by going here.

If you know of any deserving charities that could use all of our help, please read a comment! When we all do a little, it adds up to a lot. Thanks for helping take care of our neighbors.