Project Lemonade Makes The Holidays Merry for Local Foster Kids

Portland, OR. For the second year in a row, Project Lemonade is partnering with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) in Multnomah County to host a Toys for Tots holiday shop experience for foster families in need.

Kids, like the young lady who selected the pink tennis shoes above, say the shopping experience makes them feel more confident.“These make me feel positive. Because they are pink which is my favorite color and because I picked them out myself.” That’s a comment from Madison who came to Project Lemonade store in the Lloyd Center

The nonprofit collected gifts for teens this holiday season, because teens have historically had a lower selection of gifts in the Toys for Tots shop. The nonprofit serves over 2,000 foster youth in OR and SW Washington annually through three programs: a store where foster youth can shop for free clothes, a paid internship for foster youth, and a WISH program. Oregon ranks third highest in the country per capita for the number of kids in care, with more than 11,000 foster children under the care of the Department of Human Services.

Interns Diamond, Travis, Paxton, and Erick present items that teens want in clothing styles.

Organizers use financial donations to buy new items then Foster Kids are invited to pick out what they’d like.

Many organizations helped stock the shelves this holiday season.

Moda Health employees bring in the donations they collected of new clothing, shoes, backpacks, toys, stuffed animals, and coats.

Here’s a video about the program:

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From Project Lemonade:

Want to support our mission further? Consider a gift to our GiveGuide campaign to support our WISH, Internship and Year-Round Shopping programs to support youth through 2022! Supporters can still select items on the Amazon Teen Gift Wish List.

Our three programs, the Project Lemonade Store, Foster the Future Summer Internship, and WISH (What Inspire’s Student’s Hearts), provide foster youth a chance to Shop. Learn. Dream. With the odds against our foster children, let’s do what we can to turn lemons into lemonade.

Our three programs, the Project Lemonade Store, Foster the Future Summer Internship and WISH (What Inspire’s Student’s Hearts), provide foster youth a chance to Shop. Learn. Dream. With the odds against our foster children, let’s do what we can to turn lemons into lemonade.

According to government statistics, there are more than 440,000 youth in foster care in this country. Of those, 23,000 age out of the system, one-fifth are homeless and only three percent graduate from college. Throughout life, twenty-four percent never hold a job, and one-in-four experience post-traumatic stress disorder. Oregon ranks third highest in the country, with more than 11,000 foster children under the care of the Department of Human Services.

Six years ago, a group of caring and compassionate community members came together and created a pop-up store for foster youth to shop for free; they called it Project Lemonade. The goal was to send foster youth back to school with self-esteem and confidence, knowing they looked just like every other kid on the playground. In one month Project Lemonade served 1,000 kids. With community support, this pop-up became permanent, expanded its programs and reach, and now operates year-round from a retail store, and has served more than 14,000 foster youth in Oregon and beyond.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.