Store to Door Welcomes Therese Andersen to Board of Directors

We are excited to announce Therese Andersen as the newest member of the Store to Door Board of Directors! With a background in Engineering, Therese currently works for Duos, a virtual service that supports fulfilling lives for older adults through the use of technology and community. Therese received a Masters in Engineering Management while working as a General Motors Fellow, co-founded a nonprofit called Baby Basics Bellevue, and even started the Parents Hiking Club at Lincoln High School.

Since connecting with Store to Door in April of 2020, Therese has regularly volunteered as an Order Taker and Friendly Caller, as well as previously serving as a Delivery Driver out of the Beaverton Fred Meyer Store. Therese has a personal connection to the Store to Door work, as well. “I love the mission of the organization and am very honored to be part of this group, changing lives every day by helping meet the basic needs of life – helping with food and companionship” she says. “I am so glad that years ago, a handful of people asked for help with getting food from their community! Look what happens when people ask for help! I have learned that in life, helping those in our zip codes can be very impactful. This is what Store to Door is very good at!”

In addition to her involvement with our program, Therese finds time to stay active with a number of other local organizations as well, including volunteer work with Blanchet House and Pittock Mansion, as well as being part of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Community. Therese immigrated to the U.S. in the 3^rd grade, and has moved more than 15 times (“I stopped counting!”) around the U.S., The Philippines, Singapore, and Korea.

Please help us extend a warm welcome to Therese–we are excited to have her join Store to Door’s leadership and look forward to bringing her extensive skillset to support and grow our work sustaining independent living for homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities across Portland!

Store to Door’s 2020 Impact Report

We are excited to share our 2020 Impact Report! Despite a challenging year, YOUR partnership allowed Store to Door to provide uninterrupted service throughout 2020.

We were able to expand our service, adapt to better serve those in need, and partner with other local organizations to connect clients with COVID-19 vaccine info and appointments. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our mission which resulted in such an impactful year for Store to Door!

We Raised More Than $26,000 During Our Emerging Stronger Fundraising Campaign!

On Friday, April 30th, Store to Door capped off our ‘Emerging Stronger’ spring fundraising campaign! Through the month of April, we raised more than $26,000 thanks to more than 88 donors —we are so grateful to those who support our program, and we couldn’t do this work without your partnership.

Over the past 18 months, our incredible community has stepped up to meet the needs of our clients, to support our program’s growth to reach more people in need, and to sustain Store to Door as we adapt to better serve homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities during a critical time.

We look forward to a future in which we can safely come back together. As we journey towards that future, THANK YOU for your partnership. As a community, we can take small steps towards reconnection, and Emerge Stronger, together.

Missed our campaign but still interested in giving to support homebound seniors? Click below!

First Tech Sponsors Week of Grocery Deliveries!

First Tech Federal Credit Union sponsored a week of grocery delivery costs for more than 330 homebound seniors and people with disabilities for the week of April 19th through Store to Door’s Support-A-Week program. Employees of First Tech celebrated the week by volunteering to grocery shop for Store to Door clients, along with other Portland-area volunteers.

We are extremely grateful for community partners like First Tech, who have been a consistent partner with our program. First Tech employees join us regularly to volunteer in multiple capacities, . We applaud both the organization and its people for their commitment to supporting community members in need!

Thank you, First Tech Federal Credit Union, for your support in helping our clients maintain their independence! Learn more about Store to Door’s Support-A-Day and Support-A-Week programs here!

Store to Door Welcomes Jay Rafter and Tony Rapp to Board of Directors

We are excited to welcome two new members to our Board of Directors! Jay Rafter and Tony Rapp bring a wealth of experience and relevant skill sets to our work, and will be valuable assets to Store to Door’s leadership. Read on to learn more about each new addition…

Tony Rapp currently serves as Director of Technology with Cambia Health Solutions and is responsible for claim and membership services across the Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Plan. Tony first got involved with Store to Door as a volunteer in 2019, helping to choose a new technology platform for our volunteer program management, and connected immediately with the program’s mission and values. Recognizing the great and growing need felt by seniors and adults living with disabilities, and the impact that Store to Door’s work has in the community, Tony looks forward to playing an active role on the Board of Directors.

Originally from Skagit Valley Washington, Tony has now lived in Seattle for more than 20 years. He considers Portland his second home due to frequent travel for work, and holds great admiration for the community and culture of Portland and its surrounding areas. Tony is a graduate of the University of Washington Foster School of Business, a loving husband, and a proud father of two girls.

Jay Rafter joins Store to Door’s Board of Directors with more than 30 years of experience as an intellectual property lawyer, and is a retired partner from Stoel Rives LLP’s Portland office. Currently an angel investor with TiE Oregon Angels, Jay serves as an advisor to startups and young companies on both intellectual property and business matters, and informally mentors law students as well.

Jay has consulted with Store to Door on several legal matters in the last eight years and has served on the program’s Finance Committee since 2019. Connecting personally with Store to Door’s mission since first assisting in a pro-bono legal capacity, Jay looks forward to being a part of supporting the program’s continued projected growth, and to the possibility of considering additional services. He brings insight and respect for the program’s management team, employees, and volunteers, as well as confidence in the strength of the program to continue and expand service moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Becky Blumer Steps off Store to Door Board of Directors

While we are excited to add two new members to our Board, it is with sadness and gratitude that we bid farewell to longtime Board Vice President Becky Blumer as she steps off the Store to Door Board, after more than 7 years of service in multiple roles.

Since first connecting with our program in 2012 when Store to Door was located in the same building as United Way (where Becky previously worked), Becky has been a fixture within the Store to Door community, and a guiding force of our organizational growth, leadership, and strategy. She has been a member of both our Nourishing Circle, President’s Circle, as well as our LoVE League.

Officially joining our board in 2013, Becky had a deep connection to our work supporting homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities, and continued volunteering weekly as a Delivery Driver while serving as Board VP. In 2018, Becky and her client Betty Walker, who she had been delivering to since she first started volunteering, were featured at Store to Door’s Nourish to Flourish Benefit Gala. In 2019, Becky was awarded the Portland Monthly’s ‘Light A Fire’ award, in recognition of her extraordinary service as a Board Member.

Becky leaves the Store to Door Board in very strong position for continued growth, and we are so glad to have had her support and guidance over the years. We know that Becky will continue to be a member of the Store to Door family. Thank you Becky!

First Tech Federal Credit Union Sponsors Week of Grocery Deliveries

First Tech Federal Credit Union sponsored a week of grocery delivery costs for more than 300 homebound seniors and people with disabilities for the week of November 30th through Store to Door’s Support-A-Week program. Employees of First Tech celebrated the week by volunteering to grocery shop for Store to Door clients, along with other Portland-area volunteers.

During this challenging year, we are extremely grateful for community partners like First Tech, who have been a consistent partner with our program. First Tech employees join us regularly to volunteer in multiple capacities. We applaud both the organization and its people for their commitment to supporting community members in need!

Thank you, First Tech Federal Credit Union, for your support in helping our clients maintain their independence! Learn more about Store to Door’s Support-A-Day and Support-A-Week programs here!

Remembering Eleanore Rubinstein

April 23, 1913 to November 8, 2020

Store to Door recently lost a cherished member of our community. Long-time volunteer Eleanore Rubinstein passed away November 8^th at the age of 107, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Matriarch to her large, close-knit family, Eleanore was an inspirational example of involvement.

Along with her Dachshund, Sophie, Eleanore was a regular fixture in the Store to Door office each Tuesday afternoon. Sophie, a Store to Door character in her own right, sat patiently in her own chair next to Eleanore if there was room, or curled in her lap if there was not. Since becoming a Store to Door volunteer in 2013, Eleanore gave more than 235 hours in service to Store to Door clients. She was a beloved fixture in the lives of the clients she took orders from, many of whom were younger than her. Eleanore was consistently recognized for her excellent volunteer work, receiving a Light a Fire Extraordinary Volunteer award, as well as being selected as Store to Door’s 2016 Volunteer Order Taker of the Year.

Eleanore volunteering with Sophie, her dog — Eleanore and Sophie in the Store to Door office, 2015

Eleanore and Sophie in the Store to Door office, 2015

In addition to her volunteer work with Store to Door, Eleanore regularly gave her time to the Red Cross, PTA, Girl Scouts, and the National Council for Jewish Women. In an interview with Store to Door in 2016, Eleanore spoke about giving others the benefit of the doubt: “Find the good in people. Everyone has good in them. It’s also important to make friends and keep them.”

Eleanore often acknowledged how lucky she felt for her life growing up in Portland (Irvington Elementary, Grant High School), her wonderful family, her ever-expanding circle of friends. Those of us who had the chance to get to know Eleanore through her involvement with the Store to Door community feel like the luckiest of all.

To read more about Eleanore’s life and legacy, her obituary is provided on The Oregonian’s site here.

Support Store to Door in the 2020 Give!Guide

We are excited to announce that we are joining 173 other local nonprofits in the 2020 Willamette Week Give!Guide. Participating in the ‘Human Services’ category, our goal is to raise $10,000 to continue supporting our program during this vital time!

Each year, Willamette Week’s Give!Guide works to build a culture of active citizenship among Portlanders and local partner organizations by engaging them with philanthropy, and supporting local nonprofits in a variety of service categories!

We are excited to offer a number of fun incentives provided by our own community partners, including a paddleboard class, a round of golf, and more! Check out our Give!Guide page for more information —and stay tuned for even more fun incentives offered by Give!Guide themselves throughout the campaign.

See Our Give!Guide Page Here!

Store to Door Community Raises Nearly $34,000 During ‘Celebrate 30 with 30’ Campaign!

We are excited to announce that ‘Celebrate 30 with 30’ raised nearly $34,000 thanks to the incredible response from our community! Surpassing our goal of raising $30,000 in 30 days, we owe this success to 176 Store to Door supporters like YOU! We are SO grateful for the outpouring of support during this campaign, and want to thank everyone who made it possible as well as our campaign corporate sponsors. Thank you everyone!

“While this year has been a challenging one, it has also highlighted just how vital services like Store to Door are for the vulnerable populations that we serve. Support from members of our community has allowed us not only to sustain our program during this time but to expand our service to meet the increased need. Throughout our 30-year journey, the kindness and diligence of volunteers, supporters, and community partners has enabled us to help seniors thrive. Thank you!” – Mark Fulop, Store to Door Executive Director.

Necessitated by the cancellation of our annual benefit gala, the campaign was our first-ever peer-to-peer fundraising effort. The campaign raised funds to celebrate and sustain the program’s 30^th year supporting independent living for homebound seniors and people living with disabilities across the Portland metro area. Thank you to everyone who created a fundraising page, or helped to spread the word to family and friends!

We are grateful as well for the support of these partner organizations for sponsoring the campaign. Please help us show our appreciation for their commitment to supporting our community!

Event Partners:
Fred Meyer
OnPoint
Bank of America
AWS
Kaiser Permanente
Summit Bank
Becker Capital Management