During hard times in Lane County, people are coming together to help everyone, making our community stronger. Here is a list of services being offered.
Shopping Angels
Shopping Angels is a volunteer-run program created by pre-med student Jadye Powell, who started the program because of COVID-19. Volunteers can go to multiple stores to find products such as toilet paper or bottles of water that are considered essential products and deliver them to at-risk Americans and the elderly. At risk Americans including parents of young children, elderly, and compromised immune systems. Clients who receive this service are still expected to pay at this time.
Volunteers stay in contact with clients throughout the entire process from delivery to clients exchanging cash for their items. Clients are never expected to pay more than the price on the receipt, the press release says. Shopping Angels will deliver to clients who have been infected with COVID-19 but would need to be discussed between volunteers and clients so both parties can stay safe according to the Shopping Angels press release.
Shopping Angels has become an international program, with branches in all 50 states, Canada, and Australia, says Melissa Roby, the Oregon state coordinator for Shopping Angels. She became involved after seeing a CNN article and reached out immediately to become a volunteer. Volunteers are now working in Lane County, Portland, Bend and Salem.
If you or somebody you know would benefit from the Shopping Angels Program, please sign up on the Shopping Angels Program Facebook group, Facebook.com/shoppingangelsinc/ or call at 458 215 1213.
Lane County Artist Relief Fund
Lane Arts Council has put together an Artist Relief Fund for artists who may not know what their financial future holds for them. Artists commonly earn their living through teaching art in schools, promoting their work at galleries or performing at gigs, according to the Lane Arts Council (LAC) website. Because public spaces have closed and many art events are either canceled or postponed, artists are worried about their finances, the LAC website says.
Funds will be appropriated to as many artists as possible who qualify. Artists include literary artists, event production workers, visual artists and performing artists. Applications to apply for funds are open.
For more information about donating or applying for the funds, please visit, LaneArts.org/lane-county-artist-relief-fund/ or email at artistrelief@lanearts.org.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
With the retail stores closing, SVDP formed a Community Response Fund. The fund is in response to the nonprofit’s ability to meet the needs of the most susceptible within the community who are the most compromised and have now started to search for emergency funding, the SVDP website says. With the Community Response Fund in place, community members can contribute and support the nonprofit’s work.
To keep the social services open to those who are most in need, the First Place Family Center, the Eugene Service Center and Dusk to Dawn need donations due to the retail stores closing. St. Vinnie’s retail services are harmed in the same way as other businesses. The ability to supply help to the community through feeding the homeless and supporting the families who rely on St. Vincent has been altered.
SVDP recognizes that everyone is struggling in this global epidemic and appreciates any donations made, the SVDP website says. Any amount given or donating any of the products listed on their website would help immensely.
For more information about donating money or supplies please visit, SVDP.us.
Pearl Buck Center
The Pearl Buck Center is a nonprofit organization located in Eugene. The nonprofit serves about 600 adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, The New York Times says. The Pearl Buck Center programs include the Pearl Buck Preschool & Family Supports, Supported Living and Community Employment and much more.
The Pearl Buck Center announced a $10,000 matching gift from Yellow Emperor, a Eugene manufacturer of herbal supplements. Some of the funds will be used to pay the employee portion of health insurance premiums of laid-off workers and maybe bring a few workers back, The New York Times says.
Elisabeth “Lisl” Waechter formed what is now the Pearl Buck Center in 1953. Starting as a small school in Creswell, the school eventually moved to Eugene and was finished in 1959, according to the Pearl Buck Center website. During this time, no other public schools offered special education.
For more information about donating, visit PearlBuckCenter.co. Pearl Buck Center is located at 3690 W. 1st Avenue. As of right now, the Pearl Buck Center is not open to the public.
White Bird Clinic
The White Bird Clinic is working to design a few dispersed and sanctioned campsites that follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. These camps will offer assistance in hygiene, nutrition, peer support services and other outreach services, the White Bird Clinic newsletter says.
Crisis support offered through the White Bird Clinic will continue to help community members, the newsletter says. The White Bird Crisis line will continue to be accessible 24/7 by phone at 541-687-4000.
If you or somebody you know would like to volunteer, visit WhiteBirdClinic.org. White Bird Clinic is located at 341 E. 12th Avenue. Open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm, seven days a week.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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