Article by Marilyn Mauch, Coordinator of the Backpack Lunch Program at Fremont United Methodist Church

For many students, the federally-sponsored school lunch is their main source for a nutritious, satisfying meal during the day.  If there’s not enough food in the house, these children can go hungry on the weekend when the school lunch isn’t available.  In its second year of operation, the Backpack Lunch Program puts food items for two weekend lunches each Friday into the backpacks of 40 children at Woodlawn Elementary.  The need is much greater.

Your food donations can make a difference.  We invite you to bring food donations to the monthly Woodlawn Neighborhood Association meetings, so that we can reach more Woodlawn Elementary students who are at risk of hunger on weekends.

Food items to donate:

* cans of chili, soup, ravioli in meat sauce, cans/boxes of mac n’ cheese

*  small juice boxes—100% juice only, no foil containers

*  individual-size fruit cups

*  small packages of crackers w/cheese, raisins or fruit snacks,

* granola bars (no peanuts)

Four NE Portland United Methodist Churches, including Woodlawn United Methodist, are working with community friends in this non-profit, all volunteer effort.  To learn more about the program, contact Marilyn Mauch at 503/287-3014 or Fremont United Methodist Church at 503/284-4647.

All residents of our community deserve equal access to services and opportunities. The trouble is that good jobs, high performing schools, social service agencies, and even grocery stores are not always conveniently located. Census data shows that poverty now extends past the inner Portland neighborhoods to the County’s outer reaches. Yet, basic amenities and services such as parks, sidewalks, health clinics, and social service agencies are still concentrated in Portland’s inner core. Language and other cultural barriers may also stand in the way of people of color and immigrant communities seeking to connect with these vital resources.

Your input will inform how federal dollars are spent on programs addressing equitable access to services for households in Multnomah County.  You’re invited to a public hearing on equitable access to services, as part of the process of developing the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan.
Where:          King Elementary School Cafeteria
Date:           Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time:           6:00-8:00 pm
Trimet:         Bus lines 6 & 72 (www.trimet.org)

If you can’t attend this hearing, there are four other convenient ways to comment. Read the rest of this entry »

From neighbor Gregg Lavender, a re-post from LivableStreets.com:

Where are social networks created? The answers often embrace institutions such as work and school and today, a host of online communities, while the neighborhood block, a historically vibrant source of local relationships, has largely become a disconnected collection of houses and residents. For many communities, this trend of fewer informal links within a neighborhood has been associated with a heightened sense of risks that threaten the health and well being of neighborhood residents and their children. Furthermore, studies have shown that neighborliness influences perceptions of health and reinforces the local relationships enabling response to community concerns. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jennifer Coughlin (Woodlawn resident)
Jake Greenburg hasn’t moved in yet, but has already proven himself time and time again to be a great neighbor. If you search for him on the internet, you will see that he has owned and operated Classic Foods, a Portland-based specialty food wholesaler catering to restaurants, for the past 25 years. You’ll also find out the man is heavily involved in many social causes—donating food, services, and support to organizations like Birch Community Services, Self Enhancement, Inc., Our House, and Community Cycling Center. Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Portland Office of Transportation has SHARE THE ROAD yard signs available to lend to community residents. Signs encourage road users to share the road and to slow down.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Woodlawn’s own bike safety expert Gregg, we saw kids on National Night Out who didn’t want to take off their brand new awesome helmets!  If you missed out, Gregg says you have another chance on Thursday August 20, from 3-5 at Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital Healthy Kids’ Fair.  I’ll bet you can do some other cool things at that Healthy Kids’ Fair too, if anyone finds a working link send it via the comments!  More info after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

Southeast Sunday Parkways August 16, 2009

9 am to 4 pm

Let’s ride down together!

Read the rest of this entry »

Discounted helmets provided by grants from Legacy Foundation, Legacy Portland Hospitals Medical Staff and Trauma Nurses Talk Tough through this annual sale.  Helmets are $5.00 each, helmet fitting & adjustments available, sizes for toddlers to adults.

Legacy Emanuel Hospital (Atrium)
2801 N Gantenbein Ave – Portland, Oregon
June 18, 2009 + July 16, 2009 + August 20, 2009 – Thursdays, 3 to 5 pm

If you can’t make this event, check out other dates and locations by continuing to read this story.

Keep yourself and your kids safe on bikes!  Stay tuned to GoWoodlawn for continual biking safety and fun updates. Read the rest of this entry »

Interested in gardening, cooking, gleaning, preserving or harvesting? Join Our United Villages on Saturday, May 9th from 9am-3pm for a free hands-on workshop all about food. Learn new food sharing skills. Take a cooking class. Watch a canning demonstration. Volunteer at a garden or urban farm. Meet at the Whole Foods Market Wellness Center, 3535 NE 15th Avenue, for a light breakfast and to pick your project. Lunch will also be provided.

Registration by by May 4th is required. Contact Info //at// OurUnitedVillages.org or call 503.546.7499.

Sunday Parkways is a day when the city opens a loop of streets so people may freely spend the day walking, skateboarding, rollerblading, wheelchairing, biking and strolling along.   Though there won’t be a Sunday Parkways coming through Woodlawn, it will pass right near us along Ainsworth and we have been encouraged to get involved.  Below is a note from one of the coordinators:
I wanted to invite you and any of your interested neighborhood residents to our brainstorming cafe.  Vernon neighborhood is hosting a Sunday Parkways Cafe on Saturday, March 21st, 9-11 am, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church (5431 NE 20th @Killingsworth). We would love for you to help us brainstorm ideas for activities in the parks and along the route, music, food vendors and anything else that would make this a great event.

The Northeast Portland route will link Alberta, Fernhill and Wilshire Parks. The date of the actual event is July 19th, 9am – 4pm. We will be sending out an invitation to register as a volunteer as the event gets closer – we need about 400 people!

Hope to see you on March 21st. Please feel free to pass this email along.
Cheers,

Janis McDonald
Transportation Options, Project Manager
City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation
ph: 503-823-5358
janis.mcdonald@pdxtrans.org

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