Joblessness spurs quest to help others

Portland pair forms an army of unemployed workers eager to help

By Ashlee Sprugel
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Seth Reams (center), co-founder of We’ve Got Time to Help, and other volunteers work on several of the many projects completed since the organization formed three months ago. (Photos by Seth Reams and Peter Chee)

We’ve Got Time to Help is a small but growing organization with the goal of helping people in Portland and the surrounding area. As their blog states, “We are a group of people that have found some extra time on our hands. Most of us have been laid off and are having a tough time finding a job in this awful economy. We are using a small portion of that time to make our entire community a better place.”

Portland natives Seth Reams and Michelle King created We’ve Got Time to Help after Seth was laid off from his job in December. Seth found out first-hand about the struggling economy as his search for work lasted longer than he had initially anticipated.

Michelle became aware of Seth’s demeanor changing and depression creeping in during that time. She could see that he was personalizing not being able to get a job, so she suggested to Seth that he get out of the house and volunteer for a few hours. And, getting out and volunteering actually helped Seth feel better. He posted a couple of listings on craigslist.org and realized that there were other people in the same situation—people who wanted to help but didn’t know where to go.

From this experience, Seth and Michelle got the idea to create a blog as a way of connecting volunteers and those who needed their help. With this goal in mind, all they had to do was find people who needed their help.

Once again Seth turned to craigslist, hoping to find projects for the newly-formed group. They started the blog the end of January and on February 1 posted their first We’ve Got Time to Help ad on craigslist.

The responses they got were overwhelming. People from all different walks of life responded by saying, “I want to help.” Those who responded included unemployed people who were in the same boat as Seth, high school students, those who are lucky enough to have a job (like Michelle), and business owners who said, “I have materials and time—let me know how I can help.”

As Seth expected, there were also plenty of projects people needed help with or things to fix. For example, somebody with a leaky pipe might not have the money right now to hire a plumber or they may not have the knowledge, skill, or ability to fix it themselves. We’ve Got Time to Help would provide the help to resolve the leaky pipe before the problem becomes a crisis situation.
Seth and Michelle are proud that We’ve Got Time to Help is not a nine-to-five organization. It was created as a way to connect people to people while by-passing the middleman. There is no bureaucratic process to go through before those who need help get it, and there are no restrictions on who can ask for assistance.

Seth and Michelle’s philosophy is, “People who are reaching out and asking for help probably genuinely need it. It doesn’t matter if they live in a million-dollar home. It is not our place to judge. If they ask for help, we will do our best to help them. It is about connecting neighbor to neighbor without the expectation of anything in return.” It is a pay-it-forward mentality. Seth explained that knowing that there is no expectation for anything in return, everybody who has gotten in touch with them has said, ‘This is what I need [and] here is what I can do to help.’

For Seth and Michelle the most surprising part of this project has been the overwhelming response in general -- not only from the volunteers who want to help, but from the people and organizations who want to help spread the word about We’ve Got Time to Help. They have also been featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud” radio program, KBOO radio’s “Bread and Roses” program, and were also contacted by donorsresource.org, various magazines and others who want to start a We’ve Got Time to Help group in their community.

Both Seth and Michelle said they have met many good people through this service, and it has helped restore their faith in humanity. As volunteers themselves, they feel that they get so much out of volunteering. The couple states, “We couldn’t feel better. We are gaining knowledge and constantly learning new things from those who are volunteering with us. We are showing people that there are people out there who care about you because you are a part of humanity.”

Seth noted that people keep asking him, “Are you trying to change the world?”

His response is, “Yeah. We want to change the status quo and societal norms of everybody fending for themselves, being afraid to ask for help…We want people to open their eyes. There are people who need help everywhere. I’m just going through life, trying to get people to come with me.”
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To learn more about We’ve Got Time to Help, visit the group’s blog at www.wevegottimetohelp.blogspot.com Learn about the projects they have done to-date, as well as current and upcoming projects. If you are in need of some neighborly assistance or would like to volunteer your time, contact them at wevegottimetohelp@q.com or 503-953-6018.

Left to Right: Michelle King and Seth Reams, founders of We’ve Got Time to Help, stand with Trevor and Hall, two of their volunteers, after a project.

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Piano Santa Foundation gives the gift of music all year long

By Nancy Hill
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Piano Santa founder Mark Mention tunes one of his fleet of loaner pianos. (Photo by Nancy Hill)

Ten-year-old Tram arrived in the United States from Vietnam with a Yamaha keyboard prize under her belt, but her family could not buy a piano to foster her talent. Patrick, at 16, had never seriously played the piano, but once he started, talent flowed like electricity through his fingers. Unfortunately his single-parent household could not bear the cost of a piano equal to his abilities. Steve had been playing the piano for six years and had won many competitions, but his piano was holding him back. It simply couldn’t keep up with his ability.

With the help of the Piano Santa Foundation (PSF), a Portland non-profit organization whose mission is enriching life through music, all these promising musicians earned an opportunity to fully realize their potential.

PSF founder Mark Mention has nothing but admiration for the talented musicians to whom his organization has awarded pianos through its scholarship program. As a child and youth, he, too, played the piano. He even studied it in college until, he says, he realized he would never be good enough to play professionally. But that didn’t keep him from his love of the instrument. He merely changed gears and went to The North Bennet School in Boston, Massachusetts, to learn to tune and restore pianos.

”It was a perfect fit for my interests. I love music and woodworking, and this gave me a chance to do both.”

Mark might have been satisfied there, but in 1992, when Portland schools were cutting music programs, he feared the community was losing its music. As he wondered how he could help keep music alive, a client called to say she wanted to donate her piano to a child who couldn’t afford one but who wanted to play. He decided to help her out and thought Christmas would be the ideal time to give the piano away.

Mark called the Music Teachers Association and asked for names of likely candidates.

“I put all the names together and then pulled one out of the hat. The piano went to a little girl that first year, and I just knew this was something I had to continue.”

Friends were interested in this endeavor as well, and with their encouragement and support, Mark created a board of directors. Three years later PSF received 501(c)(3)status.

“We realized pretty quickly that if we only gave away one piano a year, we wouldn’t make huge headway. I’d also figured out by then that giving a piano away might not be ideal. Children change their mind about things, and a piano is a big commitment.”

Mark and his board decided that rather than give pianos as gifts, they would give children scholarships to borrow a piano for up to three years. “This gives their parents time to save money if their child stays interested,” Mark says.

In addition to providing the piano, PSF can also help scholarship recipients find resources for discounted piano lessons. Students may borrow music from PSF’s music library rather than pay the high cost of sheet music, and the scholarship program connects students with a sponsor and arranges for them to work with a mentor involved in the music community. The mentorship and sponsorship programs help the students, some of whom are as young as 10, keep their commitment to the scholarship.

The scholarship application is simple. Students and parents write letters saying why the student wants a piano. Students have to personally commit to a year’s worth of practice and learning, and they have to fill out mentor reports. During the year, PSF requires each student to fill out monthly practice sheets as well. The students also perform at four annual piano recitals.

Students can apply for three different kinds of scholarships. The first, the Standard Scholarship, is non-competitive. Those awarded this scholarship receive a regular piano for a year and can reapply for up to three years. The students need to be from an economically challenged family.
The second type, the Stepping Stone Scholarship, is competitive, and the winner receives a grand piano for two years. Only PSF students can apply. Again, the students are from families whose economic background would not otherwise be able to support a grand piano and the level of study PSF provides.

The third scholarship, the annual Grand Scholarship, is open to the public. While income is a factor, there is no maximum income attached. PSF awards a grand piano for two years to whichever student will most benefit from it.

Mark believes that in addition to learning about music, PSF students also learn valuable life skills. For instance by applying for the program, students learn from a young age how scholarships work.

Says Mark, “The students see they are key to any scholarship they apply for. It’s very empowering.” One student, an Ethiopian girl, went on to earn a scholarship to a private high school and from there received a college scholarship.

Also, “The piano teachers all teach self-discipline,” Mark points out. “The kids learn that nobody can buy good musical skills. Everyone has to earn them. They also learn that by applying themselves and practicing, they can do a lot more than they ever thought they could.”

In general, the students are highly appreciative of the opportunity PSF provides. Says Steve Lam, a recent Grand Scholarship winner, “I had come to a point in my playing where my piano didn’t have the dynamics I needed. It was a great beginner’s piano, but some aspects of it limited my playing and creativity.”

In addition to providing young students with an opportunity to realize their potential, PSF also grants piano placements to organizations that use music as a way to benefit the community through music therapy or vocational rehabilitation.

PSF was run entirely by volunteers up until a few years ago when it hired a half-time executive director. Mark says, “I thought if parents knew volunteers were willing to help their children learn music instead of going to the beach or going skiing, it said a lot about the value of their child.”

Mark is always looking for ways to fulfill PSF’s mission. “We currently have a fleet of 35 pianos,” Mark says, “and we want to make sure they are all in circulation. We also want to start doing more community outreach and expanding beyond classical music.” With the recent addition of Executive Director Sandra Phadke, PSF has been able to expand its scholarship and grant programs as well as its new after-school teaching program.

Mark has a strong philosophical bent and yet he is humble about his dedication and PSF’s success.

“I think what people are looking for in life, whether they know it or not, is fulfillment. It comes down to asking, ‘What is it that makes you feel good as a human?’ I think the answer might be as simple as taking the gifts or skills you’ve been given and using them in a way that helps others. Music is what I can share. I’m not the Piano Santa,” he says. “We’re a foundation. There are many of us working together to make this happen.”

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Students and families interested in scholarships should visit the Piano Santa website at www.pianosanta.org Applications for this year’s Grand Scholarship are due May 15, 2009. Other scholarships are open year round. People interested in volunteering or making donations can reach the PSF office at 503-245-6269.

Nancy Hill is a writer and photographer who believes that when people work together anything is possible.

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Warriors for peace

Oregonians keep hope alive to create U.S. Department of Peace

By Faye Powell
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Local peace advocates demonstrate their support for a U.S. Department of Peace. (Photo by Danial Dancer)

If you could design a culture of peace, what would it look like? Imagine, if you can, a world in which principles of peacemaking are the norm for resolving disputes in the home, school and community; where domestic and child abuse rarely occur; where gang members and prison inmates resolve feuds with words instead of weapons; where tolerance and respect for differences replace religious and sectarian enmity; and where war is the last resort for settling international conflicts.

But in a world where violence in every sphere of life is endemic, is a culture of peace only a wildly utopian ideal? Is it only the audacious, naïve fantasy of a few John Lennonesque-dreamers? Or is it an idea whose time has come? Robert Kennedy once said, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

In July, 2001 – two months before 9/11 – U.S. Rep Dennis Kucinich of Ohio introduced legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace that would create a structure and programs to promote solutions that prevent and reduce violence, both domestically and abroad. As a Cabinet-level position, it would have equal standing with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense and others that advise and consult with the president. A U.S. Department of Peace would be pro-peace, not anti-military nor necessarily anti-war.

To date, the bill lacks enough support to receive serious debate in Congress; nevertheless, Rep. Kucinich has continued to introduce it in each session of Congress since 2001, most recently as HR Bill 808. Currently, 66 members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsors, including Oregon Reps. David Wu and Peter DeFazio.

With the nation deep in an economic recession, passage of the U.S. Department of Peace legislation is unlikely to occur in the near future. But alongside this current crisis and daily media blitz of violent news, a grassroots movement that believes in the possibility of a culture of peace and the eventual establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace is quietly growing. This movement, organized along congressional district lines, is active in all 50 states, coordinated nationally by the non-profit Peace Alliance.

What motivates and challenges individuals to commit themselves to such an ambitious, long-term and open-ended campaign? What sustains them year in and year out?

“I am not drawn to do this work,” says Oregon State Coordinator of the Peace Alliance Campaign David Hazen, 65, of Salem. “I am compelled to do it from the deepest stirrings of my heart and soul. I have survived many forms of personal and systemic violence. Because my heart is broken open, I must bring the world with me.”

Through this work, Hazen foresees the healthy growth and development of children, prosperity and safety for adults, as well as cooperative learning and problem-solving.

Ken Bryan, 49, is the leader of the Congressional District No. 3 campaign that includes most of Multnomah and part of Clackamas County and is represented by Earl Blumenauer.

For Bryan, a primary motivation is the commitment to leave a better, less violent world for his 12-year-old son. Especially rewarding to Bryan is his work with high school students and the Student Peace Alliance. In the Portland area he consults with students who have initiated their own projects. West Linn students, for example, developed and presented a resolution of support for a U.S. Department of Peace to the West Linn City Council that passed in November 2008. Lincoln High School students are working on a similar resolution to present to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

Under Bryan’s leadership and sponsored by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, the Portland City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of a U.S. Department of Peace in August 2007. With the support of state Senate leaders, Bryan hopes to present a resolution to the Oregon Legislature later this year. Though a U.S. Department of Peace may not become law in the near future, Oregon is moving forward to build relationships for its eventual passage.

Larry McAllister, 58, is another founding member of the Portland area campaign. For years he has been concerned about the amount of unnecessary violence in this country. He views the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace as a good milestone for turning our culture around.Burnout and frustration are not issues for him.

“I stay motivated because I believe the goal is solid. I believe we will eventually have a U.S. Department of Peace, and I can then look back with a sense of satisfaction of having been involved from the beginning,” he says.

“Each of us does what he or she can,” McAllister adds. “Every conversation people have about the U.S. Department of Peace is part of the campaign, of weaving a piece of the fabric of a culture of peace.”

The Portland Area Department of Peace group meets the second Thursday of each month.
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For information about upcoming events and opportunities to become involved, contact Ken Bryan at kendbryan@yahoo.com or at 503-236-0499. Also see www.ThePeaceAlliance.org for information about the national organization and www.nwdepartmentofpeace.org for information about the Northwest Regional Campaign.

Faye Powell is a retired librarian who wants to channel Lois Lane without the complications of Clark Kent.

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Food, learning and cultural exchange bind families

Helping immigrant family learn English leads to lasting friendship

By Nicole Morales
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Left to Right: Phallon Oun, Rob Bednark, Sara Bednark, Thyda Oun, Seiha Oun, and Bophar Sie reminisce in the Oun family’s Cornelius home. (Photo by Nicole Morales)

Chicken feet!” Sara Bednark laughs as she recalls sharing a meal with the Oun family at a restaurant in Chinatown, Portland. “Of course I tried them, we hadn’t known each other very long and I didn’t want to be rude.”

Bophar Sie gestures with a down-faced palm scurrying through the air. Sara winces. We all laugh sitting around a small coffee table in the Oun’s living room. It’s been two years since the Ouns and Bednarks last saw each other, though their smiles make it feel like it was just yesterday.

I met with the Oun and Bednark families on a drippy Sunday afternoon in Cornelius to talk about how they met 12 years ago. At that time Rob and Sara Bednark, founders of The Portland Upside, were looking for a way to get involved in their new local community after moving from Minnesota to Portland. Nearby, Phallon Oun was in search of an English conversation partner. He and his wife, Bophar Sie, had just emigrated from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with their two children, Thyda, 9, and Seiha, 7.

“Everything was new,” Phallon says. Although he was financially able to support his family in Cambodia’s capital, the civil unrest and societal instability were too much to bear—it was safer in the United States. Phallon left behind a reputable job, a familiar lifestyle, loved ones, and a language when he and his wife made the decision to immigrate to the United States.

“I spoke no English,” recalls Phallon. That was up until he met Rob through the Oregon Literacy Council, a program that then matched up volunteer native English speakers with individuals in need of English as a Second Language (ESL) services. Phallon wanted ESL lessons for himself and his family.

“He asked me right away if I could help his family, too,” Rob says. “That’s when I asked Sara to help.” What was supposed to be a once a week volunteer opportunity for Rob quickly evolved into a full-fledged family affair.

Soon enough Rob and Sara offered to pick up Phallon, Bophar, Thyda, and Seiha for the ESL sessions. When the lessons were finished, Rob and Sara would take the Ouns back home. “We didn’t have a car,” Phallon says.

Yet it wasn’t all work and no play. Thyda chimes in, “We went to the zoo! And the Rose Parade.”
Sara adds, “We also took a day trip to Vancouver, B.C.”

Bophar gives a thankful smile when Sara talks about the time they all went to a supermarket to learn the English names of different foods.

The Ouns relied on Rob and Sara a lot. In addition to ESL sessions and day trips, Rob and Sara were also available when one of the Ouns had an English question or needed help to fill out school, health, or employer related forms.

It wasn’t all one-sided. “They fed us,” Sara says, emphasizing, “All the time.”

Rob and Sara had full stomachs and, undoubtedly, a complete sense of awe toward the Ouns. The odds were against this family of four from the very beginning. And yet, Phallon, Bophar, Thyda, and Seiha slowly began to thrive in their community.

“It’s amazing,” Sara says. “All they’ve done and accomplished. I could never have done what they did.”

Seiha, now 19, is a first year architectural student at Portland State University (PSU). He wants to design green commercial buildings. Thyda, 21, is on the dental hygiene program track at Portland Community College (PCC). She also works two part-time jobs. Bophar recently completed a pharmacy technician program.

Yet, she proudly notes that her children and their education are her number one priority, “I take Seiha to PSU everyday so he can get to his classes on time.”

As for Phallon Oun, the past 12 years have been a rewarding challenge. From his initial encounter with Rob and the family’s language sessions to his subsequent start as a machine operator during the day and a PCC student at night, Phallon persisted.

“I didn’t see my father much,” Seiha recalls. “He’d already be gone when I got up for school and come home after I’d gone to bed.”

Despite the time away from home, Phallon continued to work and study. From 1998 to 1999 he managed to contribute 500 labor hours to Habitat for Humanity to help purchase his family’s first Oregon home in 2000. Four years later, he earned a degree from PCC’s machine manufacturing program.

Today Phallon is a machinist who assists in the design and manufacture of orthopedic implants at Acumed. It was a struggle to balance family, work, and classes, but Bophar says she never doubted her husband’s devotion to their family.

I asked Thyda if she remembers what it was like adjusting to life in the United States during those first few years. “I know it was a struggle for my parents,” she says teary-eyed, “My parents have done so much for us.”

In fact, all of them have done so much to contribute to their family’s well being. This inspires people such as the Bednarks, who are pursuing their dream to bring uplifting stories to our community in hopes of inspiring others to appreciate the good in life.

I asked the Ouns to think of a few positive words that define their relationship with Sara and Rob. “Family” was the word of choice for Phallon, Bophar, Thyda, and Seiha. The countless family portraits on their walls and framed pictures of caps and gowns sitting along the tops of shelves and on end tables show the significance of the word for the Ouns. “Family” is what carried the Ouns through the past 12 years.

Rob agrees and adds that their relationship with the Ouns is a gift. Having sat with the two families to talk about how they met 12 years ago, I certainly agree. It is a gift, with or without the chicken feet.

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Nicole Morales strives to connect people via multicultural education and writing. She teaches ESL at a private university outside of Portland and welcomes your inquiries at nmorales.writes@gmail.com

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Destiny made me do it

Paratransit driver lovingly shuttles the developmentally disabled

By Todd Telford
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Driving a paratransit van is rarely a job that one aspires to. For me, it’s a job I fell into, then looked back at the hidden wisdom leading me there. Like many, I didn’t see it coming.

My path started with doing outside sales in the insurance field, working a corridor encompassing the top 30 miles of the state from the Willamette River to The Dalles. I wasn’t making enough money to survive, but there were parts of the job I enjoyed. I liked driving around, constantly reminded of the beauty of the land. And I got a kick from visiting little old ladies in rural lands, although it was my job to always leave their homes with a check in my hand.

I fell into sales, an offshoot of starting out in a family business, and I thought I was pretty good at it. But cold-calling and the inherent batting average that would send anybody to the minors jarred my ego. With so little wind in my “sales,” I found myself looking for my next vocation. I analyzed the parts I liked about my previous career, such as driving and working with seniors. I then subtracted the pressure of sales and came up with paratransit driving.

currying around the Portland metro area in a 13-passenger van designed to transport the physically and developmentally disabled turned out to be much more than I imagined. There are people who’ve spent much or all of their lives in wheelchairs and were near shut-ins because of that status. Now services like ours give them back their friends, the city, the thrill of shopping and being a part of everything. You can see it in their eyes when you secure their chairs. They are so thankful. I naturally defer the credit to those who started programs like these over two decade ago, but I don’t mind basking in their adoration anyway.

Coming in, I was a little afraid that I’d see equal amounts of despair and joy, with many people lamenting their lot in life and the futility of limbs that will never move again of their own accord. But despair is almost completely absent from my job. Of course, not everyone is upbeat, and I do encounter behaviors that don’t reflect the best intentions. But nearly everyone is happy to see me. These clients are thankful for the service, and they engage me as a worthy human rather than a laborer attending to them.

Like many folks stampeding through the core years of their life, I told myself that I might want to do civil service and volunteering someday if I had the time. Well it is the time, and now that I’m in this deep, it’s hard to fathom doing anything else. For me, working with the developmentally disabled is an unexpected treasure.

I start every work day in the early afternoon picking up a boisterous group from their work site and taking them to their individual group homes throughout western Washington County. Their functional ages are from three to about 12. Some have Down syndrome and many have speech impediments. Yet it’s hard to fathom just how much fun we have every day. I liken it to being an activities director sitting around the campfire with his group on the fifth night of a three-week summer camp. The jubilation, the anticipation, the comradeship, the teasing are all there. I participate with my riders in a complete willingness to be goofy.

We make funny noises. We sing to the radio. Occasionally we have burping wars. There’s the young woman who puts her shoe on the bar adjacent to the lift so that before I deploy it I might spend a moment squeezing her big toe. There’s the guy I always let steal my hat. He’s also the one who sings Christmas carols any time of the year when he’s happy. There’s the one who lives to be teased so he can respond in mock indignation. There’s the one in the wheelchair who always asks me how my cats are doing, prompting a hush from the crowd as I relate the latest stories of penny chasing, rude awakenings, and paper bag hide-and-seek. And every day these folks express fascination with my every tale, whether rehashed or unique.

I’ve never been a father, but sometimes with my gang on the “fun bus” I get a glimpse of the dad I’d be. I even see a little of my own father in how I tease and play with them. I sometimes wonder if I’d keep this job if I won the lottery. Yes, I might travel the world awhile, but I’d soon return from my sabbatical to see those faces again. It’s hard to imagine driving any less than part-time.

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Todd Telford has been a freelance motorsports photojournalist since 1982. He now makes his living as a paratransit driver based in Tualatin.

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More using Meetup site to leave the Web behind

Portlanders flock to social networking site to build real community

By Monica Rodríguez
The Portland Upside
May 2009

A Meetup hiking group takes to the trails. (Photo by Melissa Bosserman)

Meeting friends in elementary school wasn’t so hard, right? “Can I borrow your crayon?” “Wanna be best friends?” The two questions seemed to go hand in hand.

But as we get older, it often gets a little harder to make and keep friends. Blame it on best friends moving to Wichita or college buddies holding onto cool jobs teaching English in Japan. Sooner or later, most of us find ourselves a little hard pressed to find companions for knitting snazzy sweater sets or sharing a beer during happy hour.

Thanks to the Internet, it’s not so hard to keep in touch with Midwestern friends and old classmates lost in translation. Unfortunately, though, your grandma is right: this text-messaging, online-chatting, voice-mailing culture of ours seems to leave many of us feeling disconnected and even a little lonely.

Luckily, the staff at Meetup (www.meetup.com) is doing their best to undo the wear and tear of modern living. Founded in 2002, the New York based company is a spin on other online approaches to meeting and greeting. It’s objective is simple: “To revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize.” Meetup wants people to meet face to face, not just in a chat room, and it provides the tools to help us all do just that.

Jackie Swift, organizer for Young Portland Women Meeting for Friendship, attests that Meetup meets its mission. “My favorite thing about Meetup is how the Internet is able to connect people and help them form real-life and in-person friendships. People that would otherwise have never met meet over a shared passion or at least a good meal,” Jackie says.

How it works

Meetup works because it is so darn simple. At meetup.com you can look for groups based on location and interest. Are you into Dungeons and Dragons? Awesome! Do you have a basset hound and want to find a dog walking compadre? Cool! Just create a quick profile and join the group. Some groups charge small fees to cover the nominal subscription fees charged to Meetup organizers, but most are free.

After that, you can pretty much just sit and wait. Meetup is smart enough to email you when your groups organize new events. It’s even nice enough to remind you a day or two before an event takes place, so you’re sure not to miss one. And don’t worry. Members self-select all preferences, so you won’t get stuck receiving a hundred emails a day, if you don’t want them.
Okay, so Meetup is smart, but it isn’t psychic. When planning events, organizers must be savvy enough to request Meetup to send emails and reminders to group members. Mostly, organizers are really good about doing that. Otherwise, it helps to check your group’s page regularly, especially while the organizers work the kinks out of running a new group.

A group for every interest

There are over 600 Meetup groups in the Portland area, and more are likely to form.
The Portland Metro Urban Hikers group is one of them. Scott Haas, a former Seattleite who’s been here for over a decade, started the group last fall. He wanted to plan local low-cost hikes to explore the bountiful natural landscapes in and close to Portland.

“There are many other hiking groups,” Scott says, “but the hikes are mostly out of town and require a full day’s commitment. I like those kinds of hikes, too, but when fuel hit $4 per gallon, it started to become cost prohibitive to go out of town every weekend. So I thought, ‘Why not find local hikes that are eco and transit-friendly, that would only take a few hours out of the day, but still give an opportunity to explore?’”

His reasoning hit the mark. The group already boasts 700 members and usually meets once a week on the weekends. Some hikes have attracted as many as sixty members, while others - the ones on the colder, wetter days - only number in the single digits. But all have been fun.

Jack Huttig organizes The Flying Spaghetti Monster Lands for a Pint, a local community for atheists. He joined Meetup over a year ago after moving to Portland from the Midwest.

After a slow start, he began planning events for his Meetup. Now that the group’s main organizer is taking a break to plan her wedding, he’s stepping in full-time to help keep the group alive.

“I’ve been fortunate that Flying Spaghetti Monster has a core group of people with a list of definite things they like. That means they’re quick to share ideas, recommend places, and even offer their homes for parties,” Jack says. “I’ve met some very nice people,” he adds. “To tell the truth, the Meetups are the highlight of my week when they’re held. It’s a group of people I feel I can trust, which is the first prerequisite to friendship.”

Young Portland Women Meeting for Friendship has also had its fair share of success with 400+ members. The group targets women in their twenties and thirties and aims to have about one gathering per week to give its members a chance to attend regularly.

Jackie Swift, the group’s current head organizer, found out about Meetup a little over a year ago and doesn’t regret becoming involved.

“When I moved back to Portland after having been away for a while, I didn’t have very many friends in town anymore. I researched social opportunities in Portland and found Meetup. I was looking for a new social network, and I certainly found it! It’s been a very rewarding experience and a lot of fun. I’ve met hundreds of interesting women, many of whom are new to Portland.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to help them settle into a new city.”

Nina Knapp agrees that the chance for forming friendships is one of the main appeals and main successes of Meetup. A member of several groups, including Jackie’s women’s group, Scott’s hiking group, a yoga group, and a vegans and vegetarians group, Nina feels that she’s found a good outlet for making connections with others.

“I have met some great people I otherwise would not have met,” Nina says.

Meetup is an invaluable resource for finding support, too. There are countless parenting, networking, exercise, and other support groups in the Portland metro area that succeed at helping people find others with whom to share difficult times.

And if nothing on Meetup strikes your fancy, you can always form a group of your own. While there are costs involved in being a group organizer, Meetup staff offer suggestions for how to help make them manageable.

_____

To find out more about Meetup, visit their website at www.meetup.com

Monica Rodríguez is a full-time editor, part-time writer, and occasional square dancer. She loves all things Portland, including living in Sellwood, eating pastries at Grand Central Bakery, and buying used books at Powell’s.

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Upside News Bites

By Rob Bednark
The Portland Upside
May 2009

My Father’s House, a family shelter in Gresham currently housing 10 families, has an 85% success rate (families leaving the shelter with income and affordable housing).
www.familyshelter.org 503-492-3046

Hands on Greater Portland made 4,253 connections during the month of April between community-based organizations and volunteers looking to help.
www.handsonportland.org 503-200-3355

The Pixie Project, an animal adoption center in Portland, adopted out 20 animals during the first two weeks of April, including Grandpa Sampson, a nine-year-old border collie.
www.pixieproject.org 503-542-3433

In March, 20 volunteers gave 108 hours for The Giving Tree, a Portland non-profit that supports resident retention for the chronically homeless and constructs community environments for people living in affordable housing.
www.thegivingtreenw.org 503-280-9068

Over 240 tons of reusable building materials found a home through The Rebuilding Center in Portland in April, which sustained over 40 full-time jobs with benefits.
www.rebuildingcenter.org 503-331-1877

80 individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in Portland earned an average of $10-$50 per day during April selling Street Roots, a local non-profit, grassroots newspaper that is a catalyst for individual and social change.
www.streetroots.org 503-228-5657

Ethos Music Center, a Portland non-profit dedicated to the promotion of music and music-based education for youth in underserved communities, provides affordable music lessons to over 2200 kids per year.
www.ethos.org 503-283-8467

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If you have any ideas for Upside News Bites, email them to editors@portlandupside.com

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Portland - My Home

By April Curfman
The Portland Upside
May 2009

(Photo by Julie Kelly)

Mountain - spectacular
Webbed feet - vernacular
I was born here

Rose Festival - a vision
Hood to coast competition
Heritage formed - year after year

Washington Park, the trees
Ladds Addition - rose - perfumed breeze
Visitors from far and near

The Columbia, The Sandy, The Willamette
Water overflowing or coming down wet
Bridges from there to here

Jantzen, Intel, Meier & Frank, Boise Cascade
Tom McCall, NW Natural, OHSU, Portland State
I am proud of what’s been achieved here

Lacey’s Bomber, Roses, The Old Spaghetti Factory
McMenamins, The Bite, Izzy’s
Good friends, good times, good cheer

From Union to MLK,
Beaverly Cleary to OMSI
From Horses to Max - does the driving for us
From Logging to “The Silicon Forest”
Portland’s history brings us together - here

The churches, The Arlene Schnitzer, Oaks Park
The Saturday Market, The Grotto, “Portland after dark”
The sounds I love to hear

Neither Mount St. Helen’s eruption,
Nor the occasional congestion
of a freeway connection
(with the possible exclusion
of a botched Trailblazer solution)
could distract from the
attraction
of this treasure of seduction
My Home
Portland
I was born here.

©2002

_____

April Curfman worked for NW Natural for 23 years, co-facilitates a support group for Parkinson’s Disease and enjoys sharing her poems with a Poems & Coffee Meetup group.

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Portland - Wow!

By Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
May 2009

(Photo by Hamid Shibata Bennett)

It’s so easy to forget to value the uniqueness of a community once we’ve lived somewhere a few years. After ten years spent enjoying the magnificence of Alaska, I remember blandly greeting a friend’s wonder with, “Oh, yeah, the eagles. You see them all the time.”

Since relocating to Portland in October, I have been sending a “wow” list to my friends and family back in Utah. Here are some of the things that have made me truly happy to call myself a resident of Portland.

Chicken or egg

While researching housing options, I discovered that Portland allows its residents to keep up to three chickens without a permit. In fact Portland has the highest per capita urban chicken population in the country! One house I looked at didn’t have a chicken coop, but the neighbor a house away did, and I thought it would be pretty cool to trot down to the neighbor’s to get fresh eggs. Thankfully, roosters are not allowed. That wouldn’t be as charming at five in the morning. Still, fresh eggs in your morning omelet? How could one complain about that?

Bicycles everywhere

Walking to my car recently after another interesting neighborhood exploration, I was caught by surprise as an onslaught of bicyclists - a good 15 or 20 of them - passed by. I stopped and wondered why there would be a bike race in the middle of the week when I realized the time: 5 p.m. The bike-to-work commuters were on their way home!

Where there are bikes, there are beards

I remember reading a local magazine that proclaimed Portland as the “beardiest” city in the United States. Some Portlanders claim that a beard works like a scarf while bike riding. Apparently all the biking to work explains all those beards!

Good conversation

My heart skipped a beat while enjoying home-cranked pumpkin ice cream at the Troutdale General Store one day. Three handsome and fit 50-something men dismounted their bikes, came in for some coffee, and chatted about sustainable lifestyles at the table beside me. People here take their beards, their bikes, and their sustainability seriously. Woohoo!

Liberal reading policies

I am now officially a resident of Oregon. Well, at least the library says I am. When I recently got my library card I was amazed to discover that I can check out 100, yes, that’s right, 100 books, CDs, or DVDs at a time. The Multnomah County Library system seems determined to help its residents have their own personal library, even if it’s only for three weeks at a time.

Not in a hurry

While driving on the freeway, wondering why I was passing everyone, I noticed the speed limit just outside Portland is 60 miles per hour. And people actually go 60 miles per hour. Out past the urban growth boundary, the speed does go up to 65 but people still stick to the posted limit. I actually saw a car creeping along the highway with a sign in big letters in the back window that said “55 mph = 37 mpg.” In other places around the country, motorists routinely pass me even while I am traveling at 70. No one seems in a hurry here.

Community-building barber

This caught my eye: a newspaper feature on Bishops. The local barbershop chain is about to franchise because they’re so popular. Catering to generations X, Y, and Z, the shop offers affordable salon services in a casual, fun and trend-setting atmosphere. Clients come for a shampoo and blow dry, cut or color, and a free bottle of Miller High Life. They stay to hang out.

On their website, owner Leo Rivera says, “We care about being part of the community and making it better.”

Even the grocery stores are different

At my local Fred Meyer the other day, I found hemp milk on the shelves as part of the regular inventory. It’s touted as being cholesterol free, vegan, and full of essential amino acids and Omega 3 and 6 oils. Even better: it’s legal! I had to try it. After drinking a gallon, I have to admit I don’t feel healthier, but I do appreciate having the alternative right here in my neighborhood grocery store. During another grocery outing, I was offered a sample of beer. Having come from a state with less liberal liquor policies, once again I marveled at how good we have it here in Portland.

Each day continues to surprise and delight me as a newcomer to Portland. Even if you are a native or long-time resident, I hope you will make your own “wow” list and take great pleasure in the many wonderful things this great community has to offer.


_____

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From the Top

Five – six – seven – eight . . .

By Sara Bednark
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Northwest Theater Group rehearses for their upcoming production "Steppin' Out on Broadway" which premiers May 27th at the Alpenrose Dairy Opera House. (Photo by www.Rosboroughphotography.com)

If they could see me now,
That little gang of mine,
I’m eating fancy chow,
And drinking fancy wine.
—Dorothy Fields

Now comes the hard part. Hand your top hat to the right and grab the one from the left, then turn, kick, and place the hat on your head. All the while singing, smiling, and hopefully not dropping the hat, that slippery hat.

The Northwest Senior Theatre group is rehearsing for their spring show, Steppin’ Out on Broadway, and I feel slow and clumsy just watching. In preparation for each show, they rehearse two days a week, three hours a day for five months.

It’s a big commitment, especially when they could be spending more time with their families and relaxing into their retirement. So why would this group of 62- to 85-year-olds want to spend that much time putting on a show?

“It’s something to do” and “We’d be too sedentary if we didn’t” are just two of the many answers I receive when I ask the cast.

Some mention that memorizing the lyrics and choreography keeps their minds active. Others point out the importance of the community they have created. And still others talk about the volunteer aspect; Northwest Senior Theatre puts on five to six performances of each show for retirement homes throughout Portland.

Fred Bauner, though, touched on something much different. “We’re all hams anyway!” he says. “You know, it’s the appeal of the crowd, the applause.”

I’d like those stumble bums to see for a fact
The kind of top-drawer, first-rate chums I attract.

And attract they do.Northwest Senior Theatre has volunteer members from all over the Portland metro area, Vancouver, and as far away as Hubbard. Their twice-yearly auditions are advertised in The Oregonian’s Monday callboard and brings in people from all backgrounds: engineers, doctors, postal workers, teachers.

Sue Tenison, Northwest Senior Theatre’s choreographer, gives me the lowdown on qualifications. You must be able to sing and move at the same time and, of course, you must be 55 or older. But you don’t have to have prior theater experience, just a willingness to practice.

If they could see me now,
That little gang of mine,
I’m eating fancy chow,
And drinking fancy wine.

Northwest Senior Theatre is a non-profit organization that has been around since 1991, supported by donations and membership dues. The group puts on two galas a year for the general public, one in the spring and one during the winter holidays. Some of the performers have been in theater for most of their lives and are true professionals.

For Gerry Warner, Northwest Senior Theatre president, the theater had been only a dream. She describes it now as a second career.

“One I’ve always wanted and didn’t think I’d ever have,” she says. “It’s just amazing!”

And it really is! Audiences just don’t know what to expect, Sue proudly reports. “They think these little old people will come out [on stage] but, no, we have this big, huge production. We have scenery, costumes, an accompanist, a drummer, lighting, sound.” And many dedicated members who put it all together.

Looka where I am.
Tonight I landed, pow!
Right in a pot of jam.
What a set up! Holy cow!

Just before I leave, eight women emerge on stage and begin to tap, slide, turn, and sing to “The Lullaby of Broadway.” It certainly is a surprise! There’s something that happens when lights, sets, and costumes merge with long hours of practice. To an amateur like me, it looks like magic. The audience doesn’t expect the transformation that happens to their parents, grandparents, and friends, and neither did I. When the lights go down and the music starts to play, age becomes irrelevant. These men and women change from seniors to performers with the ability to bring back the razzle-dazzle of Broadway from the top of their hats to the tap of their shoes.

They’d never believe it,
If my friends could see me now!

Their friends can see them, and so can you. For a $5 donation per person, you can see two hours of Broadway numbers at the Alpenrose Dairy Opera House. Every day at 2 p.m. from May 27 through May 30, the curtain will rise for the Northwest Senior Theatre’s performance of Steppin’ Out on Broadway.
_____

To learn more about Northwest Senior Theatre visit their website at www.nwseniortheatre.org or call 503-251-4332. The opera house is located at 6149 SW Shattuck Road in Portland.

Sara Bednark has published two children’s books and believes that everyone has a story to tell.


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Making Room

By Leah Mayes
The Portland Upside
May 2009

One night last week I found myself in one of Portland’s finest, a watering hole filled up and down with characters. After ordering a drink and settling into my seat, I nodded “hello” to my neighboring bar fly. Seeing no one with whom I might have common interests, I decided to sit a while, observing the evening’s goings-on.

The man holding down the stool next to me appeared to be a good ol’ boy, complete with button-down shirt, hat, boots, jeans and an affinity for Pabst Blue Ribbon. Lo and behold, our conversation turned first to what we do for a living.

“I am a chef,” I said. “I love to cook. I have studied nutrition for the last seven years and I must admit to being a food snob at times. I specialize in organic cooking with an attention to vegan and vegetarian cuisine. How about you, cowboy?”

“Well,” he said, “I sell hamburgers. Flip um, sell um, all my life.”

I smiled. Turns out this good ol’ boy owns and operates two local McDonald’s eateries. I smiled again and I think I might have nodded, but rest assured, I wasn’t quite sure what to say next. My mind teetered between an urge to launch into a spiel about childhood diabetes on the rise, heart disease, and bad cholesterol (“Oh, by the way, did you see “Super Size Me?”) and an equally strong desire to politely excuse myself to find other conversation. In the end, I decided to just stay and listen. After all, I’d never met an owner of a McDonald’s. I figured this could be interesting and I might just get some dirt for my next nutrition speech.

Portly, bordering on the short side, good color in his cheeks, my side-kick appeared well-shaven and eager to make a friend. I found out that in addition to owning restaurants, this man loves to farm. He described plowing his fields on a tractor, on a sweet summer day in the sun, the wind blowing the tall grass around like waves. He smiled a lot. I felt that to him farming was a meditation.

I have no idea if this man was wealthy but in truth he seemed very humble. He spoke of working for McDonald’s his entire life, how the company has helped him make a family and take care of them. He honestly proclaimed his support for the intelligence behind the corporation, its ever-changing ability to keep up with what the public demands, the many employees he has supported through regular employment.

When I asked about quality, he talked of changed ingredients, additional menu items and lowering the fat content to help support healthier choices. Then with a flurry of one-liners gained from numerous team-building seminars, memorized every morning in the mirror, my well-shaven friend announced his excitement for life, the need to keep busy, a passion to succeed with his goals. He talked about not watching TV or movies, not wasting his precious time, time better spent improving himself and his life. He was impressive with his drive and appreciation, his smile and honest-to-goodness simplicity; a genuine man, living his life as he sees fit, taking his own path to the American, rags-to-riches dream; all held in the hands of a clown and supported by the Golden Arches. Over four billion served.

Served willingly, many would argue, and they have a good point. People living off the street stumble in when they find a buck; people walk in way too many times because they can’t stop themselves; people eat fast food just because it is easy.

This man and I had little in common. I could have argued left and right about the quality of meat he serves, the treatment of the cows his company slaughters, the robbery of American nutrition and much more. But I didn’t. Instead I noticed that we represented two opposite ends of the spectrum, sitting together reminiscing about what a field of tall grass looks like in the wind.

Some things are beautiful even if we don’t agree with them or understand them. Some things just are. Although I think we should fight for what we believe in, this time I didn’t feel the need to fight. I felt recognition for this man just as he is: a man, living his life, making choices. And though I myself would not choose the same, here we were making room for each other over a tall glass of cold beer. And that is an upside.


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How to be new at anything

By Carrie Ure
The Portland Upside
May 2009

(Photo by Carrie Ure)

You don’t have to be a professional newbie to join the exhilarating ride called the learning curve. Whether you are looking to bring passion and excitement to the mundane aspects of your life or just anxious about an important upcoming life change, learning to embrace the beginner’s mind can enhance your experience.

I arrive at a downtown Portland hotel, on time but rumpled and sweaty after hiking three blocks in my best heels. I stop for a name tag and choose a seat among dozens of jovial professionals as my panicky thoughts begin to drown out the din in the massive ballroom. Will I fit in? Will I say something stupid? Will they know I’m new?

I have just entered my first continuing education luncheon in my new career as a real estate broker. I stop to take a deep breath and ponder my current situation: middle aged, divorced, on my third religion and embarking on my fourth career, and once again I have no idea what to expect. Yet having played the role of newbie hundreds of times, I know I will get a lot more than chicken salad out of today’s meeting if I follow my own simple rules for being new.

First give up all pretensions of expertise. No matter how well you have polished your shoes or your story, everyone can spot a beginner. Once I began to relinquish my need to know every fact and my obsession with appearing to know what I am doing, I relax into the kind of in-the-moment intuition that opens doors and increases my learning capacity. Others agree.

Nancy Thompson recently put her corporate business travel career on the back burner to follow her passion as an event planner. Her company, Flourish, based in Portland, targets successful women like herself by offering forums and events to enhance the body, mind, and spirit. With the open mind of a newbie, Thompson soon realized that despite a formidable professional business plan, she had no idea what she was in for. It wasn’t until she abandoned the plan, slashed her budget, and scaled back her operation that her concept began to take off, attracting best-selling authors in intimate venues, events which bring women back month after month.

Says Thompson, “By letting go of the way I was supposed to look, I filled an unmet need in the Portland community.”

Embracing rather than squandering your amateur status is another technique for the new in-the-know.

“You will never be more focused, more curious, or more passionate about your subject than you are at the beginning,” says Nikki Gardner, top-producing realtor with Windermere Realty Group in Portland, now in her fourth year. Gardner used her natural drive to find that out from the get-go, winning the President’s Elite sales award in only her second year.

Having more questions than your clients pays off, says Gardner, when it’s time to compete for a listing or represent buyers in a transaction. Early on she understood that by replacing her fear of the unknown with a curiosity for what might be, she let her enthusiasm substitute for the momentum that she lacked. Beginner’s luck is anything but!

Successful newbies also take advantage of their status as the new kid on the block. You will never be more popular or attract more goodwill than when you are new.

When I was learning to windsurf in the Columbia River Gorge, I rarely had to worry about getting my rig off the car alone in 40 knot winds. And if I was having difficulty with a particular move in the water, impromptu lessons regularly happened. People in this world-class windsurfing capital were more than happy to share their experience with me and to show me their secret tips.

For some, being new is a well-developed art form that begins out of necessity.

Rahul Vora, software engineer for the multinational software company, Autodesk, has mastered the art of being new. On arriving in the United States from his native India 24 years ago, Vora confesses being overwhelmed by the changes. Now as chief architect for multi-million dollar software products, he uses the skills he honed as a student in a brand new country.

Stress levels soar when deadlines loom and cultural and communication issues arise.

Says Vora, “When I go into a high-level meeting with the thought that I am hearing these issues for the first time, I begin to relax and become more creative. Often my relaxation is enough to ease the tension of all the participants in the room.”

I take a break from writing to attend my 12-year-old son’s Little League game. Asher doesn’t know that he is my favorite coach in the art of being new as he readies himself to pitch for the very first time. Good-naturedly warming up until it’s time to take the mound as starter, he walks the first batter, strikes out the next, and then fumbles the ball, resulting in a stolen base.

One of his throws sails way over the catcher’s head. Yet his team rallies behind him, cheering him on until the inning ends without a score. Asher’s wide grin across freckled cheeks tells the whole story of how to be new at anything—enjoy yourself and don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes!

_____

Carrie Ure is a mother, writer, editor and spiritual consultant living in Portland. She considers “beginner’s mind” to be one of her highest aspirations.

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Growing Gardens

Digging at the root of hunger

By Jessica DeVries
The Portland Upside
May 2009

(Illustration by Nick Young)

Urban gardening is thriving here in Portland and the organization Growing Gardens makes sure low-income Portland residents can enjoy food security by growing organic vegetables in their own yards. The goal of Growing Gardens is to get at the root of hunger by empowering families with the knowledge and experience they need to affordably grow gardens of their own.

Growing Gardens offers two main programs for the residents of Portland: Home Gardens, for individual families, and Youth Grow, which partners with schools and other youth organizations around the city. Growing Gardens also offers Learn & Grow workshops that are open to the general public. Topics range from natural pest control to raising chickens.

In 2008, the Home Gardens program enrolled 62 families and in total, 139 people benefited from the services. Residents who participate in Home Gardens must live in North, Northeast, or Southeast Portland and must be at or below 185 per cent of the federal poverty guideline.

Rodney Bender manages Home Gardens and says one of his favorite things about his job is the one-on-one time he gets with the gardeners, especially when they get excited about their garden.

Families sign up in the fall and early summer to receive assistance building beds specifically designed for their house or apartment. When spring comes, each family is paired with a mentor who helps them plan their garden layout and choose vegetables. This mentor stays with the family for the duration of the three-year program.

“We’re not only building a garden and teaching people how to grow food. We are exposing them to a more healthy lifestyle spending time outdoors and eating more delicious food,” says Rodney.

Youth Grow currently works with five area schools and one Boys and Girls Club to provide after-school gardening clubs, summer garden camps, and organic vegetables to elementary-aged kids in Portland. The schools and youth organizations participating with Youth Grow must have 50 per cent or more of their students receiving free or reduced lunches.

Caitlin Blethen has managed Youth Grow for the past three years. Recounting her favorite story, Caitlin recalls a day when the students sampled kohlrabi from their garden and kohlrabi from a supermarket. One of the boys remarked, “I wish we could grow all of our lunch and come out here and eat all the time!” Caitlin experiences many such moments.

Growing Gardens currently has three full-time staff, two part-time staff, and two AmeriCorps members. This means its success depends largely on the help of countless volunteers. In 2008, 600 volunteers gave 2500 hours of their time to aid in projects.

If you are interested in volunteering, the best way to get involved is to sign up for email updates. Not only does volunteering build community, but volunteers gain hands-on knowledge as well.

_____

To learn more about Growing Gardens or to volunteer, visit www.growing-gardens.org or call
503-284-8420.

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Good cheap manure for your garden

By Nancy Turner
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Don Vetch fills the backend with some of the good stuff. (Photo by Nancy Turner)

If you are an urban gardener as I am, you know the value of manure. It retains moisture, breaks down compacted soil, is rich with nutrients and works magic in the garden. And who doesn’t want manure that’s ready to use without waiting six to nine months for it to compost? Most of us want pure, clean, ready-to-use, organic manure. I think of it as brown gold, because it’s that valuable for the productivity of my garden. The question is what kind of manure.

Not all manures are created equal. The common sources of manure are chickens, horses, steers, rabbits, sheep and dairy cows. Some of these critters produce manure so high in nitrogen it’s considered “hot” and unless very well composted, it will burn plants upon contact. Horse manure often contains weed seeds and the last thing a gardener wants is more weeds. Cow manure generally has a nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash ratio of 25-15-25, making it the most useful soil-builder around. The challenge is where to find it.

There happens to be one remaining dairy in Multnomah County, merely a half hour drive from downtown Portland: the Vetch Dairy, on Sauvie Island. Don Posvar, manager of the Vetch Dairy, has 97 Holsteins. Of the 60,000 dairy farms across America, most are small, family-owned dairies. His herd is about average.

When asked about cow manure, Don says, “Come and get it!”

Twice a day Don’s cows saunter into the milking parlor where he and his assistant attach milking machines to four teats per udder. Without causing the cow any discomfort, the machines simulate a suckling calf with a pulsating vacuum. A well fed cow will produce about ten gallons of milk per day.

The only things getting rich on this dairy are the milk and the manure. The average dairy farmer gets about 30 cents on the dollar for milk you see on the grocery shelf. The cost of fuel for tractors, milking machines, keeping cows warm in winter, transportation, and other supplies, has gone way up while the farmer’s income goes down. But Don’s dairy has been in the family for generations and his wife and kids live on the land. He’s not going anywhere.

His 85 year old uncle Bob still drives a tractor and says, “If I stop working I’ll die, so I keep at it.”

It’s reassuring to know that milk is the most highly regulated food product in the country. All milk is carefully tested for antibiotics. Don doesn’t use them except when a cow gets sick or has mastitis, an inflammation of the cow’s milk ducts. Milk from a medicated cow is discarded. No antibiotics make it into the milk he sells to Tillamook Dairy, Alpenrose, and the Northwest Dairy Association. He doesn’t give his cows growth hormones. This is good news for those of us who are concerned about what we put on our vegetables. When you consider how pure the milk is, you know the manure is too.

Cows utilize about 30 percent of what they eat, eliminating the rest. At the Vetch dairy all cow waste is contained in a large cement “pond,” where it creates aromatic slurry. This is sucked up through a vacuum hose to a gigantic dehydrator that separates the solids from liquids and spews the solids into a huge pile inside a metal shed. Here the manure cooks to 170 degrees. It’s smoking! Don says one day he was hauling manure in his truck and someone flagged him down, yelling, “Hey buddy, your load’s on fire!”

When you’re ready to amend the soil and fertilize your garden, give Don Posvar a call (503-545-5092) to be sure he’s not out plowing the back forty. Watch for children and dogs as you cruise down his driveway toward the barn. For $10 cash, he’ll hop on his tractor, fill a front-end loader, and dump it into the bed of your pickup truck.

Remember to take a tarp to keep bits from blowing off during the drive home. With a thousand pounds of brown gold to “invest” in your garden, just think of the great rate of return. There’s nothing finer than a lush garden of colorful flowers and a bountiful supply of food.

_____

nturner@easystreet.net

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