PORTLAND, Ore. — Thanksgiving came early for many experiencing homelessness on the eastside of Portland Wednesday night.
Union Gospel Mission and Central Nazarene Church served dozens of warm meals in a warm place to those in need.
Ahead of dinner, they went above and beyond the call to reach people who might otherwise be cold and alone this holiday season.
More and more tents are scattered around the neighborhood, along paths and under roads. There, you'll find Union Gospel Mission Search and Rescue volunteers taking time to build bridges and trust with the homeless.
A KGW crew followed along as search and rescue volunteers went to homeless camps in the Lents area to try to reach some of our community's most vulnerable during the holidays.
As those experiencing homeless move further east, the growing crisis has become very visible.
“Only about 21- to 22-percent of the population of people experiencing homelessness are actually located in the Old Town/Chinatown area,” said Union Gospel Mission communications manager Courtney Dodds. “So that means the majority of them are living outside downtown where most of the services are located.”
On Wednesday afternoon, volunteers Curtis Bogan and Dave Smith stopped at different homeless camps in outer Southeast Portland to pick people up and take them to the early Thanksgiving meal at Central Nazarene.
They drove around or walked to camps and announced: "Union Gospel Mission, search and rescue!" as they looked for people inside tents.
They picked people up, drove them in the search and rescue van and returned them to their camps after the meal.
“It means that they care,” said Jon Wilke, who said he’s been homeless for the last few months. “To sit down and have a hot meal – it’s a good idea. I haven’t had much, my stomach is growling.”
“I love it. I just love the people I come in contact with, so many different personalities and being able to give somebody something warm to eat and conversation,” Bogan told KGW. “What's really great about this is you see the smile on their faces. They’re getting a hot meal that’s delicious.”
Central Nazarene Church, located at 9715 SE Powell Blvd., partnered with the mission to host this dinner for the second year.
“I think what our guests express the most is that it helps them feel seen and gives them some humanity. If you talk to people living on the streets oftentimes they're ignored, they're judged, they don't feel there is a lot of care or concern for what's happening for them,” Dodds said.
“They often express they appreciate that we take time to talk to them, learn their names, hear their stories and we really try to figure out what is going on with them and we befriend them. We become friends with them and really treat them like our neighbors."
Steve, who didn’t share his last name, has been homeless for five years. He currently lives near Southeast Foster Road and Interstate 205.
This warm meal, cooked for him in a warm room, meant he was treated with dignity for a night.
“It means a lot. It really does, it means a lot,” said Steve, with tears in his eyes. “When you ain’t got no hope, you ain’t got nothing out there. Tonight made me feel pretty good.”
Turkey, gravy and stuffing served right to their tables filled their bellies, while compassion and care filled their hearts.
“Made me feel like the community does care,” said Steve. “It made me feel special.”
Union Gospel Mission will host their traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mission, located at 3 NW 3rd Avenue in Portland.