Provide beds for 300 kids sleeping on the floor

Dear Friends,

During the holiday season, the Warehouse sees a huge influx in clients and requests for items, especially our most-requested twin beds for children. These past three months, we’ve been fortunate to have our shelves well-stocked as we serve up to 13 families a day on the Eastside location.

Summer went out with a bang at the Warehouse – we added 30 monthly donors during our HomeMaker campaign! The HomeMaker program is now bringing in over $1,700 for Community Warehouse, allowing us to budget each month to serve more families off our waitlist.

In early October, we received a huge surprise donation of Tempur-Pedic pillows from Sleep Country USA. Our mattress company partners have been essential and generous in-kind donors, bringing in large donations of new beds and pillows to keep the Warehouse inventory going strong. We couldn’t ask for more from our partners.

In more recent news, our 3^rd annual Art and Artifacts special sale event was a huge success! With a Wall of Wine, gift card prizes, spirits raffle, and sales of art, jewelry, furniture, and curiosities from our stores, the Warehouse brought in just over $10,000. The proceeds from this event go directly into our program, ensuring that we can meet the needs of low-income individuals and families who request our services.

As winter approaches, we would like to ask you to lend your support to our Beds for Kids program. Families living without beds or blankets have a difficult time during cold winters. With your support, we can continue to make stories like the one below a daily reality at the Warehouse:

“When we very first moved in, we had NOTHING. We went from the car, to here. So we got dishes, beds, and other things, but seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces was truly one of the biggest blessing that came out of the whole thing….you know you're happy when your kids are smiling. It's good to know that people can bring that hope back.” – Warehouse Client

You can help by giving at any amount, donating furniture, shopping at our fabulous stores, or becoming a HomeMaker (check out our website for more information: http://www.communitywarehouse.org). We’re also looking for new partnerships at our Westside location. If you are connected with a church, school, or other organization with advocates who come in contact with vulnerable populations, please refer them to us!

Thank you for helping bring comfort, stability, and hope to over 60 low-income families each week. 

Links:

• Check out our website!

Dear Beds for Kids Supporters,

What makes your house feel like a home? For the folks we serve, it’s the basics: a dresser, table, pots and pans, and beds for their children. For these two adorable siblings, it’s having their very own cups and a comfy place to sit. In the past three months, we redistributed 375 twin beds and 382 twin sheet sets to ensure health and comfort for kids in need. THANK YOU so much for helping us turn empty houses into happy, healthy homes for local families!

To recap the past few months: May of 2013 was the best month in Warehouse history. We served a total of 261 families between both Warehouses. Also in May, our founder Roz received the Portland Peace Prize from Madison High School’s Peace Studies class. Through her efforts, the Warehouse is breaking down barriers to peace, democracy, and sustainability in our community.

In July, we kicked off our Summer HomeMaker Campaign with a goal of increasing our number of HomeMakers to 75 by September 22^nd. HomeMakers are monthly donors who provide sustaining income to keep the Warehouse doors open, allowing us to serve families all year round, 7 days a week. We received this quote from one of our current HomeMakers:

"We're on a fixed income, so we're careful about where we give. There are so many great causes that are out there. One of the things that attracted us to Community Warehouse is that you do such a good job of directly serving the local community. It's the belief in what you're doing." - Warehouse HomeMaker, June 2013

Our Westside Warehouse is exceeding expectations in its second year, having already served twice as many families so far in 2013 than in 2012! We also recently started a program called Community MED (Medical Equipment Donations) on the Westside, expanding our redistributed inventory to include crutches, wheelchairs, and more medical durables. Recently, a case worker picked up a wheelchair at the Warehouse for a child whose family could not afford medical equipment. He had been unable to walk for months. The case worker claimed this would be “better than Christmas” for the young boy. This and many other gifts of comfort and health are made possible because of your donations!

As summer releases its hold on Portland, we need your support. With the school year rapidly approaching, children need safe beds and alarm clocks to make sure they can have a good night’s sleep and get to school on time. For children without furniture and household basics, bringing friends over to an empty house can be stigmatizing. Families living without blankets, towels, and cookware especially have a difficult time during cold winters.

You can help by giving at any amount, donating furniture, or becoming a HomeMaker (check out our website for more information: http://www.communitywarehouse.org). We’re also looking for new partnerships at our Westside location. If you are connected with a church, school, or other organization with advocates who come in contact with vulnerable populations, please refer them to us!

Thank you for helping to ensure safety, comfort, and hope for local families in need.