Volunteer Spotlight: Ann McGranahan

This month, we caught up with Ann McGranahan, who has volunteered for more than 110 hours since 2020 as a Volunteer Shopper and Checker at our Hollywood Fred Meyer shopping location!

Q: How did you first get involved with S2D?

A: I retired from State Department of Human Services the first of July 2020. I wanted to find volunteer opportunities that would help out in the community so I looked up Hands On Greater Portland and found Store to Door.

Q: What keeps you busy when you are not volunteering with S2d? (job, school, hobby, family, pets)

A: I like being busy so I am a volunteer staff member at my church – I work on Vulnerable Children activities. I help coordinate our Foster Parents’ Night Out, I work with Every Child Oregon on getting items for foster children and also helped organize decorating some of the visitation rooms at the new Gresham DHS office.

I also volunteer with Catalyst Partnerships that helps low income seniors and disabled stay in their homes by providing needed repairs at no cost to them.

Q: What is something that your fellow volunteers would be surprised to know about you?

A: My husband and I love to travel and are hoping to visit all of the 63 National Parks. Currently at 27 of them.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of volunteering with Store to Door?

A: It is a very worthwhile volunteer activity. First, there is the fun of the treasure hunt in finding the requested items – some I have never heard of or seen. Then there is the connection with the people who are requesting – it is an honor to help them get groceries/items they need and provide a bit of connection!

NECA/IBEW Local 48 Donates $10,000 to Store to Door!

Pictured: Garth Bachman, Local 48 Business Manager; Mark Fulop, Store to Door Executive Director; Tim Gauthier, NECA Chapter Manager.

Store to Door is pleased to thank the NECA/IBEW Local 48 partnership for their recent $10,000 donation in support of our ongoing work in sustaining independence for homebound members of the Portland Community!

Community Partner organizations like NECA/IBEW Local 48 parnership directly enable Store to Door to continue delivering groceries, free food boxes, and social connection to homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities throughout our community.

“Thank you to NECA/IBEW Local 48 for your generous community investment grant awarded to Store to Door,” says Mark Fulop, Store to Door’s Executive Director. “We’re excited to leverage funds to expand our volunteer-driven grocery delivery and free food box delivery service to over 600 homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities across Portland. Equally important, your financial support will help reduce the social isolation of our clients and help us provide connections to other community services. Together, we empower those we serve to live independently. We have the deepest gratitude not only for helping build our program but for the work your members do every day!”

Volunteer Spotlight: Kris Lloyd

This month, we caught up with Store to Door Volunteer Kris Lloyd. who is a volunteer extraordinaire at Beaverton! As a volunteer shopper, checker, order-taker, and on-call Friendly Caller, Kris has given more than 185 hours since connecting with Store to Door in 2021.

Q: How did you first get involved with Store to Door?

A: I heard about Store To Door through a volunteer website as I was looking for meaningful things to do after I retired from corporate life.

Q: What keeps you busy when you are not volunteering with Store to Door?

A: I also volunteer with an organization called Care Partners which provides hospice support to people in the local area. Additionally, I have fallen in love with Pilates and do that 3 to 4 times a week. I have one incredible adult daughter and two feline babies that mean the world to me.

Q: What is something that your fellow volunteers would be surprised to know about you?

A: They might be surprised that I was born and raised in Portland and have truly never lived anywhere else. In fact, my mother, myself and my daughter were all born at Good Samaritan hospital.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of volunteering with Store to Door?

A: I would say do it! It’s a great organization with super people and you get more out of it then you put into it.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sherri Eliason

This month, we chatted with Store to Door Volunteer Sherri Eliason! Since starting as an Order-Taker, Sherri has joined our Free Food Box Program as a delivery driver, and has given nearly 150 hours of volunteer time since 2020!

Q: How did you first get involved with Store to Door?
A: I first got involved with Store to Door because I wanted a volunteer opportunity where I could serve the community and make a real difference in people’s lives. When I heard about the different volunteer opportunities at Store to Door I was really excited. I am recently retired after working as a hairdresser for 40 years and was looking for a way to contribute to the community.

Q: What might other volunteers and clients be surprised to learn about you?
A: Something that volunteers and clients might be surprised to learn about me is that my daughter is Cassie Sorensen, Program Director for Store to Door!

Q: How have you volunteered with us, and how does volunteering with Store to Door fit into your life?
A: I began as an Order Taker and did that role for about 6 months. Then I found out about the Food Box Program and I knew that was what I wanted to do! I became a Delivery Driver for the Food Box and started as on-call. But I enjoyed it so much that now I have a route every Friday! I enjoyed the Food Box deliveries so much I decided to also volunteer as an on-call Driver for the Grocery Delivery Program!

Having a route on Fridays and being on-call Wednesday and Thursday fits my schedule well as I am caretaker for my adult daughter, Heather, who has Downs Syndrome. Heather and I are blessed to have my wonderful husband, Doug, in our lives and he is a great step-dad to both Heather and Cassie. My family are my heroes and they help me stay grounded, engaged, and excited about life and my work.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of volunteering with Store to Door
A: If someone is thinking about volunteering with Store to Door I would whole heartedly recommend it! The staff is amazing, helpful, and thank me every time I see them. What they don’t realize is how much I love the clients and look forward to having my routes each week! This has been a wonderful experience with a wonderful agency. I always come back home uplifted and happier than when I left.

Volunteer Spotlight: Angela Montz

This month’s wonderful volunteer spotlight is Volunteer Shopper and Checker Angela Montz! Since connecting with Store to Door in 2021, Angela has given more than 110 hours volunteering at our Beaverton Fred Meyer shopping location!

Q: How did you first get involved with Store to Door?
A: During the pandemic, all of my family was working and schooling from home. I love them dearly, but I needed a little space! Helping at Fred Meyer was fun, convenient, and relatively safe at a time when so many places were shut down. It was also something actively positive to do amidst all of the uncertainty. I initially signed up for a month of shifts, enjoyed it, and have been a regular for 18 months.

Q: What keeps you busy when you are not volunteering with Store to Door?
A: I volunteer at my kids’ school, and also enjoy gardening, puzzles, genealogy, and socializing with friends.

Q: What is something that your fellow volunteers would be surprised to know about you?
A: I have a bit of an adventurous streak! I have been skydiving, bungee jumping, paraplaneing, parasailing, and zip lining.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of volunteering with Store to Door?
A: It’s so easy to get started and you have nothing to lose by trying it out! From order-taking, to shopping, to deliveries, there are many opportunities to contribute with varying levels of time commitment.

Bank of America Sponsors a Week of Grocery Deliveries for Homebound Seniors

During the week of September 26th, Bank of America sponsored Store to Door delivery costs for nearly 300 Portland area seniors and adults living with disabilities as a part of our Support A Week program. Partners like Bank of America make Store to Door’s program work possible with their ongoing involvement and support.

Thank you to Bank of America and their employees for their ongoing support and commitment to serving those in need in our community. We hope you will help us express our gratitude for their support!

Volunteer Spotlight: Dawn Trimble

This month, we chatted with longtime shopper and checker Dawn Trimble! A regular volunteer at our Hollywood Fred Meyer shopping location, Dawn has given more than 470 hours since connecting with Store to Door in 2017—and who knew that we had a movie star in our midst!

Q: How did you first get involved with Store to Door?

A: A friend of mine volunteered with Store to Door and told me how much she enjoyed her weekly shopping shift. At the time I was still working so I mentally filed the information away. After I retired, I was looking for something to get me out of the house that could be helpful in the community. I checked out Store to Door’s website and signed up for an introductory shopping shift. I’ve been volunteering nearly every week since.

Q: What keeps you busy when you are not volunteering with Store to Door?

A: My husband and I have three grandsons here in Portland and we see them as often as we can. Pre-Covid we were volunteers with the SMART reading program at Creston Elementary School. We hope to get back to that soon. We also enjoy staying physically active. Covid has curtailed some of our activities, but we still get out for an hour walk everyday, rain or shine! I’m a big reader and always have at least one book going.

Q: What is something that your fellow volunteers would be surprised to know about you?

A: I appeared in a locally filmed movie as a prop! My niece was a producer on the film, and they needed someone to appear in a photo as the mother of the lead male actor (Chris Klein) for a law school graduation picture. Even though I was just a prop for the opening scene, I was given a listing in the credits.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking of volunteering with Store to Door?

A: DO IT!! It is an incredibly easy and satisfying way to help members of our community maintain their independence and connection to the wider world. Most of us shop routinely, so it’s not a difficult task to take on. It even turns into a bit of a scavenger hunt at times. If you don’t like to shop, there are several other ways to participate. As volunteers, we also get to meet others who share the desire to help. It’s important to give where we can.

Volunteer Spotlight – Joni Matthews

This month, we are excited to highlight Store to Door Volunteer Joni Matthews. Since connecting with Store to Door in 2021, Joni has given nearly 250 hours of volunteer time as a Friendly Caller and Order Taker!

Q. How did you first connect with Store to Door?
A. I first got involved with Store to Door from a very good friend of mine, Carolyn. She told me it would be one day a week making calls for about 2 hours. Now I’m volunteering 2 days a week order taking and [volunteering as] a friendly caller on Friday.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not volunteering?
A: When I’m not volunteering I make crafts for my little business, travel and most of all visiting with my 6 month old grandson, Luke.

Q: What would your fellow volunteers be surprised to learn about you?
A: I think my fellow volunteers would be surprised to know that on my bucket list I plan on skydiving. I’ve already ziplined and it was amazing. My wheelchair is just my legs, not a roadblock.

Q: How would you describe Store to Door to someone who hasn’t heard of us?
A: If someone was thinking about volunteering with S2D, I would tell them that it will be a very fulfilling opportunity for them to get to know the older community, those who are homebound & you can do it from home. I remember one time a client called me “honey” and my heart just melted.

Thank you to Joni for taking the time to chat with us, and for all that she does for our homebound clients!

Affirmation and Compassion – Shelley’s Story

“What Store to door has added is another way of connecting the community,” Shelley, volunteer friendly caller and shopper, expresses. “That’s all it is. You step up, say yes, I can do that … So, all of your delivery drivers, your order takers…they’re all vital integral parts of this nonprofit.”

Now is the time to join Shelley in stepping up to support your neighbors who need you. Today is the final day of our campaign—will you commit to a one-time or recurring gift today?

Shelley is a dynamic and highly engaged person, who, like many in our community, has a plethora of hobbies and interests. She plays piano, reads, and spends time working with different organizations to create community. Sitting still is not satisfying for Shelley. “I really value generating community and community response. So it’s not really a hobby, but it is a passion.” As a former Peace Corps volunteer and crew leader for Friends of Trees, Shelley’s passion for connecting people has impacted the Store to Door community directly.

As a friendly caller and shopper, Shelley cultivates community for volunteers and affirms the value and presence of our clients. “Part of what Friday calls are is affirming the presence and that they can be in life of someone at the end of the phone,” Shelly explains. “My life is enriched.” 96% of volunteers reported volunteering enriched their sense of purpose in life. Incorporating service in many aspects of Shelly’s life is how she epitomizes dignity.

“I am part of affirming the community. A community effort, and that if this is a unique organization to a, you know million people in this greater area.”

The need for connection continues to grow. The National Foundation Center estimates only 2% of American institutional philanthropy goes to aging programs. By 2025, local census data predicts at least 3,500 more people in S2D’s service area will be eligible for services.

Now it is your turn! Donate now to our Stories of Strength summer fundraising campaign and start your own story of strength.

Sustaining Stability – Store to Door’s Food Box Program

Our Food Box Program relaunched in November 2021 in partnership with the Portland Open Bible Food Pantry after an 18-month hiatus due to the pandemic. This free program helps fill the gap in food access to our housebound neighbors who benefit most from an extra source of food.

Folks enrolled in this Store to Door program either are recipients of SNAP benefits, are members of Oregon Project Independence, or live at 200% below the federal poverty level. Store to Door clients that are eligible for the free Food Box program receive a free, personalized food box.

Our team caters to client preferences as much as possible. The Food Box team takes allergy needs and special dietary requests into consideration when filling the client’s box with healthy fruits and vegetables, dairy and eggs, meat, canned goods, and an occasional treat.

Like the rest of our programs, the Store to Door Food Box program is made possible by the dedication of our wonderful volunteer community. Support this and other vital Store to Door programs with a contribution to our summer fundraising campaign Stories of Strength today!