Store To Door of Oregon

Groceries & More. A Friend at the Door

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Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Rodgers

This Month, we got to chat with Susan Rodgers, who has been volunteering with us since 2015. Susan helps in a number of ways, but you can find her regularly in her belt loading role at Hollywood Fred Meyer.

Q: How long have you volunteered with Store to Door? What have you been helping us with?

A: I started volunteering in November of 2014.  I did one grocery list and decided it was really stressful for me to try and get exactly what the client was requesting – we have so many choices here in America!  Luckily Cindy gave me the option of unloading the carts onto the belt and I fell in love.  I get to puzzle out the best way of placing the products to be checked and make sure I am making it easy for the cashiers.  I am able to avoid the worst of rush hour by coming a little later and staying a little longer.  And the people I work with are the best!  I so enjoy the Store to Door staff and volunteers, and have gotten to know a number of the Fred Meyers checkers, learning about their lives as we work together.  It really is all about me, but I am happy that a by-product of my pleasure results in benefits for Store to Door clients as well.

Q: What is your favorite part about your volunteer role?

A: Far and away the social interaction I gain when I am there.  I would probably easily become a recluse, but for my time at Store to Door.

Q: You have to pick only one iconic Portland donut/doughnut to eat (Voodoo, Blue Star, Pip’s, etc), which do you pick and why?

A: I don’t generally eat donuts, so I am going to fudge a little on this question and choose the Fred Meyers donuts that are put out for the volunteers of Store to Door – sometimes I indulge in those.  Although I realize they are probably not iconic. . .

Q: The weather is getting nicer out, what are you looking forward to doing?

A: I am an avid dragon boat paddler and paddling in the nice weather is so rewarding.  It is wonderful to be out on the river, exercising with my tribe, and viewing the fabulous Portland skyline from the water. I’m so lucky to be a part of this sport and especially of my team.

Q: If you were getting onto a plane right now for a vacation destination, where would you be flying?

A: I would love to fly Ecuador to visit the Galapagos Islands – that would be my dream vacation!  But this year I am settling for a trip to Las Vegas to participate in a dragon boat race, a trip to Maui with my sister and two nieces (sisters’ trip), a trip to Chicago/Upper Michigan to visit my best friend from grade school, a trip to Nanaimo, BC, for another dragon boat race, and a trip to the San Juan Islands (girls’ trip with).  I am more than blessed!

Our Youngest Volunteer!

At 16 months old, Amara is possibly our youngest volunteer ever! Amara and her dad Luke have been delivering with Store to Door since January, and they are a popular fixture each week when they pick their orders from Hollywood Fred Meyer!

We are entering our final month as Foundation’s selected non-profit partner!

Store to Door’s quarter as selected non-profit partner with Foundation is coming to and end on June 5th, but interested shoppers still have a month remaining to support Store to Door by shopping at the Portland-based boutique! During the partnership, which began March 7th with a rousing kickoff event at Foundations NW 23rd storefront, Foundation has committed to donate 100% of profits to Store to Door to support independent living for homebound seniors and people with disabilities.

Foundation, founded in August 2018, works to champion a wide variety of social movements through a combination of fashion, philanthropy and community dialogue. Each quarter the women of Foundation research and carefully select a non-profit organization whose mission they strongly believe in. Foundation kicks off each partnership with an Impact event, an evening of fashion, philanthropy, food and drinks, that it hopes brings awareness to each organization’s mission. The community is invited to learn about Foundation’s non-profit partners, celebrate their great work and contribute to the cause by shopping the season’s best styles. Foundation donates 100 percent of profits and features ethical and socially conscious brands in its store.

Visit Foundation PDX and support Store to Door!

A Message from Board President Mike Beaty

Entering our planned transition period, the Board of Directors is fully engaged in an organizational assessment of Store to Door in preparation of the search for our next Executive Director. As part of the board’s due diligence, we connected with several search consultants and are in the process of evaluating options.  Our aim is to follow a comprehensive plan to cull the best candidates for this critical role and select an executive with the capabilities needed to embark the organization onto its next phase of evolution and growth.

We are pleased to have the practiced hand of Paul Lipscomb at the helm. In addition to leading Store to Door staff as Interim Executive Director, Paul is partnering with the Board of Directors to execute a deliberate and collaborative search for our future leader.  The Executive Committee will continue to work closely with Paul during this transition phase.

We are grateful that our former Executive Director Kiersten Ware left Store to Door and its program in such a strong position. During this transition, our amazing staff remain devoted to providing outstanding service to our clients, volunteers, donors, and stakeholders.

This month has started off strong and fruitful. We received a $30,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to support technology improvements for our volunteer management and routing systems. Store to Door has also been selected for an Oregon Ethics in Business Award from the Rotary Club of Portland, which will be presented to us in May at an awards banquet. These recent achievements are prime examples of how Kiersten poised the organization for success. We will only continue to build upon these accomplishments moving forward – together. Thank you for your continued dedication to our shared mission and vision for Store to Door, each and every day.

Michael Beaty
President, Store to Door Board of Directors

2019 Jean Pierce Extraordinary Volunteer Award Winners!

Congratulations to our amazing 2019 Jean Pierce Extraordinary Volunteer Award winners!

George Needham (right) – 2019 Extraordinary Volunteer Shopper
Pictured with Program Coordinator Trish Bennett (left)
Elizabeth Van Der Bijl (right) – 2019 Extraordinary Volunteer Order Taker
Pictured with Program Coordinator Trish Bennett (left)
Jess Montague (right) – 2019 Extraordinary Admin Volunteer
Pictured with Community Relations Manager Amanda Olson (left)
Penny Dodge (left) – 2019 Extraordinary Volunteer Driver
Pictured with Program Manager Cindi Fuller (right)


As always, we have so many outstanding volunteers to choose from. We hope you will help share our congratulations and thanks with this years incredible honorees!

Our Volunteer Appreciation Party!

Store to Door’s 2019 Volunteer Appreciation was a rousing success! 65 Store to Door friends and volunteers packed into Airbnb’s “ThirtyAte” cafeteria for food, drinks, prizes, and our hand made Volunteer Awards! Thanks to everyone who stopped by—we are so grateful for our incredible community of volunteers!

A big thank you as well to our photographer for the event, Wesley Lapointe!

Store to Door Earns GuideStar’s Highest Seal of Transparency

Platinum Seal Allows Donors to Focus on Progress and Results

Store to Door is proud to share that the organization has earned a 2019 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. By sharing metrics that highlight progress we are making towards our mission, Store to Door is helping donors and the general public move beyond simplistic ways of evaluating nonprofits, such as by overhead ratios.

“In accordance with our long-held belief in being transparent about our work,” said Terri Wiley, Development Manager for Store to Door, “we’re excited to convey Store to Door’s results in a user-friendly and highly visual manner. By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to earn a Platinum Seal, we can now easily share a wealth of up-to-date organizational metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar’s online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers, and the media.”

Store to Door’s GuideStar profile displays quantitative information such as the number of clients served, the number of volunteers engaged, and the number of volunteer hours contributed, just a few metrics which represent how hard we are working toward achieving our mission to ensure that all our clients are nourished, included, and can age with dignity in the setting of their own choice. By taking the time to provide this information, Store to Door has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate nonprofit performance.

In 2018, Store to Door met a 15% increase in demand for programs without sacrificing the personalized level of service or raising the delivery fee, and the need for services continues to grow. Our service area is experiencing a long-term demographic shift to a more aged society. By 2025, there will be approximately 182,000 people over the age of 60 and nearly 13,000 people over the age of 85 living in Multnomah County. An estimated 10% of these individuals will live in poverty and 30% will experience a disability. These changing demographics will have a profound impact on the demand for social services.

“I encourage you to visit Store to Door’s Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,” added Terri Wiley. “We’re thrilled that our Platinum Seal of Transparency help us better communicate our organization’s efforts to bring nourishment, connection, and dignity to all seniors in need in Multnomah and Washington counties.”

Great Portland Volunteer Resources

We have a ton of great volunteer opportunities right here at Store to Door, but we know that our volunteers are also involved in many of the other great and meaningful volunteer opportunities Portland has to offer. In case you are looking for additional ways to pitch in, here are some of our favorite volunteering resources in the area:

Hands On Greater Portland:
A great resource for those looking to volunteer around Portland, Hands On Greater Portland allows users to sort by location, time, organization, or keyword when looking for volunteering opportunities. In addition, the Hands On platform allows volunteer registration and scheduling as well.
Check out Hands On Greater Portland’s site here!

Willamette Week’s 2019 Volunteer Guide
Each year, Willamette Week compiles a list of local non-profits looking for volunteer help. Sorted by cause, the Volunteer Guide provides a short description of each organization’s volunteer needs, as well as contact information and mission statements in a clear and palatable format!
See the 2019 Volunteer Guide here!

Volunteer Match – Portland
Although not strictly local, Volunteer Match gives users access to information about a wide variety of local non-profit organizations, as well as specific volunteer opportunities. Like Hands On, Volunteer match allows you to filter by location and cause, as well as searching by keyword or organization.
Take a look at the Portland section of Volunteer Match here!

At Store to Door, we are forever grateful for the generous spirit exhibited by our many wonderful volunteers—we know that volunteerism adds value not only to our community and the lives of our clients, but also to the lives of our volunteers themselves.

We’d love you to come volunteer with us!

First Tech Federal Credit Union Sponsors a Week of Grocery Deliveries to Homebound Seniors

First Tech Federal Credit Union sponsored a week of grocery delivery costs for 233 homebound seniors and adults with disabilities from April 8th to April 12th through Store to Door’s Support-A-Week program.

Employees of First Tech also celebrated the week by volunteering to grocery shop for Store to Door clients, along with 60-75 other Portland-area volunteers.

“First Tech is a wonderful group of volunteers,” says Store to Door Community Relations Manager Amanda Olson. “They are very dependable and energetic, and they really believe in the mission. We love having them involved!”

Brittany O’Laughlin, a First Tech employee who has volunteered with Store to Door since 2015, says “I really enjoy working with Store to Door, because as an Order Taker I can give back to my community while keeping up with my hectic schedule. It’s essential to connect and show compassion for those in need and I’m able to do this and make a direct impact on my community every week. My clients are very appreciative of my time and the Store to Door service, which in turn is fulfilling and makes this an incredibly rewarding experience.”

“First Tech is proud to partner with Store to Door to support their mission of providing grocery delivery services to support independent living for seniors and people with disabilities,” said Emily Zeitman, Community Engagement Specialist at First Tech. “Our employees love volunteering with Store to Door and know that their time and effort is making a real difference for individuals in our communities.”

Other companies to date who have committed to sponsor a day or week of grocery deliveries this year include AWS Elemental and Nature’s Own. Store to Door’s program is made possible by a close partnership with Fred Meyer.

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