Board member John Sandie is one of those neighbors who is always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it’s writing articles for the Beaumont-Wilshire Newsletter, helping coordinate Newsletter distribution, or doing whatever he can for neighbors who are in need. Accordingly, in his “Letter to the Board” John proposes to “create a group of fellow Beaumont-Wilshire neighbors that could act as that helpful hand for neighbors that find it difficult to do fairly simple tasks and maintenance around their house…” (see page three). The guy is all heart. And not so coincidentally, the focus of BWNA’s General Meeting on the second Monday of February will be on two big-hearted community efforts catering to the needy among us: Aging in Place and Portland Food Project.
Portland Food Project is an all-volunteer organization that partners with local food pantries, bringing them a dependable supply of nonperishable food. Project Coordinator Richard Nudelman will provide an overview of how this is accomplished and what Portlanders can do to help.
Aging in Place is a national program that provides an organizational plan by which local communities can organize “virtual villages” of volunteers to assist neighbors who are unable to do for themselves—a concept that, ironically, is virtually identical to that proposed by John Sandie in his Letter to the Board. (It should be noted however, that it was only after John had completed writing his article that he learned of the existence of Aging in Place, a program that he and BWNA are now actively looking into.) Sharing information about Aging in Place will be local resident Margaret Lovejoy Baldwin, who has been instrumental in facilitating the launching of an Aging in Place program in Southeast Portland.
The meeting begins at 7:00pm inside Bethany Lutheran Church, located on the corner of NE 37th Avenue and Skidmore Steet, across from Wilshire Park. Look for the BWNA sign on the Skidmore side of the church, with an arrow pointed to the walkway down to the basement meeting room. Also on the agenda will be a crime report from a local officer, discussions on various neighborhood issues, and a planning review for this April’s Taste of Beaumont & BWNA Elections General Meeting.
Light snacks and refreshments will be served. We hope you can make it.