Giving Goodness

pub Tour

HPC Pub Tour Donation Drive

The happy crowd brought more than holiday spirit to the Home Building Association’s Home Performance Council Pub Tour in December. Home Building Association partnered with the Foundation, and asked the party-goers to support people experiencing homelessness. The attendees dropped off donations for Family Promise of Tualatin Valley before they began their four-pub party. The crowd brought bags full of useful items, such as full- sized shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, soap, and shaving gear.

Family Promise

HBF's Brenda Ketah and Teresa Spangler at Family Promise

HBF Executive Director Brenda Ketah delivered the donations and took a tour of the Family Promise “Bridge to Home” shelter in Tigard, where up to 55 families are housed each night. Prior to the pandemic, Family Promise relied on 18 religious and civic organizations to provide housing and food to families.  Oregon Turnkey Project funding allowed Family Promise to purchase a former Quality Inn, which they converted for their Rehousing program.  The facility gives each family or individual an air fryer and a small refrigerator in their room, and provides some meals in what was the motel’s former breakfast room. They have an indoor  children’s play area on site, as well as a clothing closet and food pantry. The facility is designed to provide spaces where people can build community as they transition out of homelessness. Family Promise also provides a myriad of counseling services aimed at finding people long term housing. If you’d like to learn more about them, go to  Familypromiseoftv.org

HBA Honorees “Clean Up”

HBA Honors

HBF's Kyle Ellerbe and Sybil Fontaine

HBA Honors guests came dressed up in festive clothing, with their arms full of donations.  The pile of full- sized shampoos, deodorant, lotions and potions quickly filled the entrance table at the November HBA event. Our partners at HBA have long held a donation drive on the behalf of the Foundation at their annual awards event, and they went all out gear this year. Long- time supporters including HBF Gala Chair Sybil Fontaine brought overflowing bags of supplies, and soon filled five large bins.

Foundation Development Manager Kyle Ellerbe brought the items to this year’s designated nonprofit, the Tualatin donation center for Northwest Children’s Outreach. This is a volunteer- run organization that collects clothing, toys and toiletries for children living in Oregon and Washington. HBF chose NCO as a recipient because it provides items to more than a dozen of the nonprofits that HBF has built projects for during our 26- year history.

NW Children's Outreach donation

Drop off At Northwest Children's Outreach

Each NCO warehouse has racks of highly organized bins full of new and gently used items, which are sorted by volunteers.  Social workers and nonprofit agencies call NCO about what children need, and through its network of warehouses, NCO tries to fills each wish list. NCO thanks everyone who contributed to making children’s lives better this holiday season. For a full list of locations and to learn what items are needed, go to www.nwchildrens.org/donation-information. Because personal care products cannot be purchased with food stamps, donations such as these holiday outreach efforts coordinated by HBA and HBF are an enormous help to the people our shelter partners serve. HBF’s hygiene Care Kits fill another vital need for people living outdoors. Your donations help HBF provide additional assistance beyond our shelter building projects. If your organization would like to host a supply drive, or to prepare kits, please contact Kyle Ellerbe, kylee@hbapdx.org