Fixing Bikes For Homeless Men and Women

From L to R: Wrench Raiders volunteer Jacob Martinez, Larry Carver, Wrench Raiders founder C.J. Speelman.
(Photos © J. Maus)

From BikePortland.org:

CJ Speelman has been working with the homeless for about six years. For him, bikes are merely a way to build community and relationships. "I was looking for what I could give folks besides food and then I started to notice how many of them had bikes, and it hit me, transportation!" So Speelman taught himself how to fix bikes and started doing it for free.

>> Read more...

NOTE: CJ Speelman is a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission reaching out on his own to help homeless men and women through Wrench Raiders.

Is It Possible For Ted Williams To Change?

Ted Williams, a homeless man with a "golden voice", has been in the news a great deal lately. (If you're unfamiliar with Ted's story, watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWG6zNf4xY0

Last week, our own Jan Marshall was a guest on the KOIN Studio 6 talk show to discuss Ted Williams and the difficulty in overcoming addiction. Jan's interview aired immediately following Ted's appearance on the Dr. Phil show in which he was confronted by his family about his addiction.

See Jan's video interview embedded below, or on KOIN Studio 6 here: http://www.koinstudio6.com/content/featured-on/story/Ted-Williams-Hope-for-an-Addict/lLcEV-DH-UCJGvXyJ9RvZA.cspx

New Guide to Homeless Resources Available

Street Roots recently released the latest edition of the "Rose City Resource," a comprehensive guide to homeless resources in Portland, Oregon.

The guide provides address, phone numbers and operation hours for the numerous agencies that assist with meals, shelter, showers, clothing, medical assistance and more.  Copies can be picked up at the Street Roots office at 211 NW Davis between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM, or from 150 local organizations around town while supplies last.

A handy online version of the Rose City Resource is also available.

5,000 lbs. of Fresh Food -- Thanks to B-Line and Whole Foods!

An innovative company in Portland is helping feed thousands of people in need.  Thanks to the work of B-Line Urban Delivery and their B-share program, Portland Rescue Mission received over 5,000 lbs. of food to provide meals for men, women and children affected by homelessness.

B-Line specializes in "sustainable urban delivery", using large cargo tricycles to solve the challenges conventional trucks and vans face serving the dense urban core.  Their pedal-powered approach saves time, lowers delivery costs and reduces emissions.

Through their B-share program, B-Line helps restaurants, grocery stores and food suppliers give back to the community.  Surplus food that might otherwise go to waste is donated to non-profit organizations that help feed people in need.

B-Line's unique delivery system makes it possible for hungry people to receive fresh fruits and vegetables, not just canned goods.  This fresh produce is a vital resource for Portland Rescue Mission, enabling us to provide high-nutrient value in the 232,000 meals we provide throughout the year.

The majority of the 5243 lbs. of food donated to Portland Rescue Mission last October through December, came from Whole Foods, a long-time partner of our Scan Away Hunger program.

Thank you, B-Line and Whole Foods for helping us feed and care for our community!

Russel's Story of Hope

"I hid under my blanket. My eyes were open the whole night."

Russel's Story of Hope (Quicktime Version)



Russel's first night on the streets was frightening. No job. No place to live. He knew he was capable of much more.

Thanks to friends like you, people like Russel have a way back to a safe, healthy, productive life. Your support gives them more than just a meal. More than a bed. You give HOPE.

Donate online at www.PortlandRescueMission.org or call 503-MISSION (647-7466).

Candice - Homeless and Mentally Ill

From Darsey, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission.  Darsey often joins with our staff and volunteers on Monday nights as they wash and massage the feet and hands of homeless women.

Candice* oscillates between states of awareness and fits of giggling. Her hair is dirty and matted to her head. When we see her at our street women’s ministry on Monday nights, she rarely uses full words to express herself. Volunteers wash and massage her feet and give her donated shoes. She rocks forwards and back, side to side, giggling and patting her head.

Candice’s mother was schitzophrenic, and she wasn’t cared for properly as a baby. Now, Candice has a mental disability, and she lives alone on the streets.

What can we do? Is washing her feet and giving her food enough? Or are we called to do something more?

Friends, it’s times like these when it’s easier to say, “Oh well, we’ll pray for her. She really needs some help.” Then we busy ourselves with other things, with other people, with other needs, and we forget about Candice until we see her again, mumbling and looking off into space, oblivious to the world around her.

Last week, someone intervened. After witnessing Candice in unsafe situations on the sidewalk at Burnside Shelter, our Outreach team realized that she needed more help that she might get at a shelter or in prison. So one staff member, a man who hardly knows her, talked with other local agencies who knew Candice, and they supported his decision to go to court and made a plea for this woman who has no family, no verbal skills, and no shoes.

Now Candice will spend the next six months living in Salem at the Oregon Mental Facility. She will be safe and warm in an environment far more comfortable than hers here on the streets. It’s hard to say if Candice even knows where she is or what’s happened to her, but we pray that this intervention will lead to treatment and healing for beautiful 24 year-old child of God.

We are grateful for the way God chooses to move at the Mission. There are great needs all around us, and most are bigger than we can handle on our own. It’s when God moves in these mysterious ways that we truly see His hand.

*name changed for privacy