Please join us in welcoming Amanda McIver as Store to Door’s new Volunteer & Outreach Manager. Amanda studied Community Health Education and Aging Services at PSU and will bring a wealth of volunteer management experience to this role. She has been interning with us for the last year and a half, supporting outreach and events, and we are already quite familiar with her smart, friendly, and energetic approach to serving the community. We are delighted to welcome Amanda aboard!
Evie Engel and Tom Wagener have supported Store to Door in virtually every capacity for a combined total of 22 years. Between the two, they have volunteered as grocery order takers, grocery shoppers, delivery drivers and even behind-the-scenes program coordinators. Now, when they’re not travelling to exciting destinations, they are substitute delivery drivers and we’re so grateful!
When Glen first started as a volunteer order taker in 2000, it was in a small office in NW Portland. He then moved along with us to a bigger office in the Con-way building in the NW. And he’s still making calls each week to support homebound seniors – but now from our new office in Multnomah Village. “I really do think it’s a wonderful service,” says Glen. “It also helps me appreciate that I can do and go anywhere I want. Many of the people I talk to can’t.” Thank you, Glen, and all of the more than 60 other volunteer order takers for caring about and connecting with clients each week!
Shirley Bernstein is one of the key volunteers behind Store to Door’s money-saving coupon program. For more than 12 years, Shirley has volunteered every week to cut, sort, and organize valuable coupons that are used to save clients’ money. And when you have a low or fixed income like many Store to Door clients do, coupons help make ends meet. “The best part of the job,” says Shirley, “is that I get to talk to the staff and help people who can’t get out and do the shopping.” Shirley herself is a Store to Door client so volunteering each week is her way to give back. Thank you for 12 wonderful years, Shirley!
This is a story of one of our many volunteers who make this program possible. “I want to get in as many steps as I can,” says Jerry Stewart, dedicated volunteer grocery shopper. Jerry, with his Fitbit and water bottle, is determined to log thousands of steps every time he shops. And he not only shops, but he arrives at the store before everyone else to haul the supplies out of storage for the day. Recently he’s also become a driver to deliver groceries. Multi-talented Jerry has also assembled new office chairs, organized computer chords, and even invented a brace to keep our outreach board upright on windy days at local farmer’s markets. Jerry’s fabulous wife, Priscilla, is a Store to Door Order Taker, too. Jerry’s other talents? He makes a mean home-made bread that rivals any local bakery. Thank you, Jerry, for your dedication and for making us all smile.
You can help open the gates to community support for the elderly and persons with disabilities. What to watch for:
Call Multnomah County Aging & Disability Services at 503-988-3646 to report any concerns.
“By helping on special projects, I can keep my skills updated and keep my mind sharp,” explains Myrna, who volunteered more than 100 hours last year for Store to Door. Myrna’s one of several amazing volunteers who help behind-the-scenes with a variety of projects to keep our program moving forward.
Why does she support Store to Door? She feels it’s vital for seniors to stay independent and to have fresh, nourishing food. She also appreciates that our volunteers interact personally with clients on the phone and when they deliver the groceries. “It is a ‘breath of fresh air’ every week I step into the Store to Door office and see all of the wonderful, passionate and creative faces. I feel blessed that I am able to give back to my community!” Thank you so much, Myrna, for your dedication and for brightening our office every single time you’re here.
“My name is Maureen and I’ve been a Store to Door volunteer for about 8 years.” Maureen is a Remote Order Taker — calling local seniors and people with disabilities each week from her home to visit a little and take their grocery orders. “I was looking for something weekly I could do to help others since my job is only part time.” What’s her favorite part of making the calls? “I enjoy getting to know the clients and helping them with their orders.” She adds, “I know Store to Door really helps people who have difficulty getting out and shopping on their own.”
We did the math and estimate that Maureen has made more than 1,600 calls on behalf of Store to Door over her 8 years of service. Thank you so very much, Maureen, and thank you to every one of our dedicated Remote Order Takers!
Did you know you can help Store to Door earn donations just by shopping with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card?
Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Store to Door here. Search for us by our name or by our non-profit number – 87472.
Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you will help us earn a donation.
You’ll still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today. Click here to learn more.
Store to Door proudly received this year’s Oregon Governor’s Volunteer Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Volunteer Program in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties. Executive Director Kiersten Ware and Board Member Michelle Carew accepted the award from Secretary of State Kate Brown at a ceremony in Salem, Oregon on April 24, 2014.
“These volunteers represent the very best of Oregon,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “They have found and filled needs in their community, using common purpose, compassion, and ingenuity to make a huge and lasting difference. I congratulate and thank them for their service.”
Store to Door supports independent living for Portland area seniors and people with disabilities by providing a low-cost grocery shopping and delivery service. 100% of Store to Door’s clients are low-income or unemployed and 80% are women.
With the help of 275 volunteers who take orders, shop, and make deliveries every week, the agency serves 400 low-income people in Multnomah and Washington Counties every year. Store to Door provides access to fresh food, medications, and household items and is the only service of its kind in Oregon.
“It was an absolute honor to receive this award on behalf of the hundreds of dedicated Store to Door volunteers who help make independent living and aging with dignity possible for our clients,” said Kiersten Ware.
The Oregon Volunteers Commission for Voluntary Action and Service organizes the awards program. Wells Fargo sponsors the awards and is making a cash grant to each nonprofit organization being recognized. “The honorees’ dedication to volunteerism has helped create stronger, more vibrant Oregon communities,” said Wells Fargo Regional President Tracy Curtis.
Store to Door’s services in the Portland metro area are vital for the growing population of seniors. For seniors, protecting themselves from food insecurity and hunger is more difficult than for the general population. One in six seniors will experience hunger.
“Since 1989, Store to Door’s amazing volunteers have helped us make 130,000 deliveries for people who would not otherwise have access to food and other necessities,” says Ware. “We are incredibly touched by the generosity of every single volunteer who helps support our clients.”
Congratulations to everyone who currently volunteers with us or who has supported our work at anytime over the last 25 years!