Portland, OR. A young man from Tigard is inspiring others with a fundraising drive for Meals on Wheels People (MOWP). Cooper Hammond started with a coffee stand in his neighborhood last fall and raised $500. This month, he kicked his efforts into high gear in the Multnomah Village. In partnership with PDXPOP! and Nossa Familia Coffee, Cooper’s Coffee stand served coffee and treats outside the Meals on Wheels People offices; MOWP helps older adults facing food insecurity and social isolation. Cooper raised nearly $7,500 from day-of sales and donations, bringing his fundraising tally close to $8,000. Anyone can give back—no matter their age, explained Cooper, “If you give back to the world, you can make it a better place.”
After learning about MOWP while visiting his local Green Zebra grocery store during Donate Dinner, Cooper decided to launch the coffee stand.
Cooper Hammond poses for a photo with his parents, Dave and Terri.
Cooper Hammond with a dog named Cooper.
Growing up in a family that values giving back to its community, Cooper adopted an annual tradition of creatively supporting a new charitable organization every holiday season. Over the most recent holiday season, Meals on Wheels People was the beneficiary of Cooper’s giving heart—and emerging business acumen.
Through the month of February, Cooper’s fundraiser lives on at cooperscoffee.org. Visit the website to make a donation, or order Cooper’s limited-edition popcorn or coffee courtesy of PDXPOP! and Nossa Familia Coffee. Proceeds benefit homebound older adults in our community through Meals on Wheels People programs.
Portland, OR. Meals on Wheels People has introduced a new vehicle into its fleet – an all-electric van with a refrigeration unit powered by solar energy. The van was funded by a grant from the Portland General Electric (PGE) Drive Change Fund and was built by Lightning eMotors of Loveland, Colorado.
The Lightning Electric Transit Van is a zero-emission electric vehicle. The van is believed to be the first electric van deployed in the United States to have a fully functioning solar-powered refrigeration system, used to keep meals fresh for delivery. The refrigeration unit is powered by a 12-volt battery pack that is charged by the vehicle when the van is plugged in and by a solar panel when the vehicle is in the sun.
The refrigeration unit is powered by a 12-volt battery pack that is charged by the vehicle when the van is plugged in and by a solar panel when the vehicle is in the sun.
The PGE Drive Change Fund is funded via the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Clean Fuels Program and is awarded annually through a competitive grant process. Meals on Wheels People received the grant in 2020. The PGE Drive Change Fund allowed Meals on Wheels People to purchase two electric vehicles and install electric vehicle charging stations at its headquarters in Multnomah Village, allowing staff, volunteers and the public to charge their vehicles while on location.
“Sustainability is part of our corporate culture and Meals on Wheels People is committed to reducing its impact on the environment,” said Meals on Wheels People CEO Suzanne Washington. “Converting to electric vehicles is just one step in our Green Initiative and helped us earn a spot on the list of 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon. We are extremely grateful to PGE for providing us the funding for our new electric vehicles and charging stations.”
The van will be used for the Meals 4 Kids, which serves qualified children and families within the City of Portland experiencing food insecurity and is funded by the Portland Children’s Levy.
Here’s a video about the program:
“We’re thrilled to support the Meals on Wheels People mission,” said Eva DeCesaro, manager of PGE’s Clean Fuels Program. “This electric van and charging infrastructure will contribute to the reduction of emissions not just for the wonderful people at Meals on Wheels, but for everyone they serve, and the larger community here in Oregon.”
To build the Class 3 vehicle, Lightning eMotors partnered with refrigeration manufacturer Volta Air, based in Canada, and solar-panel supplier Merlin Solar of San Jose, California. The van is capable of traveling delivery routes while maintaining cargo at refrigerator temperatures – all with zero emissions. Emerald Transportation Solutions of Fayetteville, Georgia installed the refrigeration unit, its battery pack, and insulation liner.
“Last-mile delivery of chilled food via electric vehicles is expected to be an emerging trend as more zero-emission vehicles are deployed,” said Bill Kelley, chief technical officer, Lightning eMotors. “Our engineering team worked very closely with Volta Air to assure seamless integration of this innovative battery charging and refrigeration functionality. It’s a pleasure to be able to deliver this innovative van to Meals on Wheels People.”
About Meals on Wheels People:
Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls, and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit mowp.org.
About Portland General Electric:
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon, with operations across the state. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE has 16 generation plants in five Oregon counties, and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For over 130 years, PGE has delivered safe, affordable and reliable energy to Oregonians. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE and its 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. In 2019, PGE, employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated $4.3 million and volunteered 32,900 hours with more than 700 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit portlandgeneral.com/news.
Vancouver, WA. Bank of America announced Meals on Wheels People as its 2019 Neighborhood Builder grant recipient for the Portland-Vancouver market. The Bank of America award includes a $200,000 gift that is being used to open a first-of-its-kind diner for seniors and community members in Vancouver. David Reiter, Senior Vice President, Bank of America, and Suzanne Washington, Chief Executive Officer, Meals on Wheels People, cut the ribbon with the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for The Diner Vancouver’s grand opening on May 20th.
The Diner Vancouver is located at 5303 E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, Wash. It’s open from 7:00am to 2:00pm daily.
More about The Diner Vancouver, including the menu offerings, is at the link: www.thediner.org.
Marcie Kessel, Development Officer, Meals on Wheels People, with the check from Bank of America.
The diner’s unique model aims to achieve several things: provide choice for senior diners, create a welcoming atmosphere with high quality, locally sourced food, and establish an eating establishment that appeals to seniors, families and the business community. Those age 60 and older who enroll in the Meals on Wheels People program have the option of ordering off a special menu, which meets Older American Act dietary guidelines, and is available on a donation basis. Revenue from paying customers will help support the Meals on Wheels program in Clark County and allow the nonprofit organization to better serve more rural parts of the county. The diner is open daily for breakfast and lunch, is on a bus line for access, and serves comfort food sourced from local ingredients.
Tony Staser, from Meals on Wheels People, poses with attendees from the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.
Marcie Kessel, Development Officer, Meals on Wheels People, holding the Neighborhood Builders Award with David Reiter, Senior Vice President, Bank of America.
Through the Neighborhood Builders program, each year the bank provides a local nonprofit with a unique combination of leadership training, $200,000 in flexible funding, volunteer support, and a network of peer organizations across the country. Last year’s local winner was All Hands Raised.
“In every community we serve, we’re continuously assessing that community’s changing, evolving needs. And while many of our core clients are homebound seniors who benefit from our home delivery services, our research showed that more seniors locally are actually healthy and mobile and would benefit from more socialization opportunities. Out of that, the idea for this new diner was born,” said Suzanne Washington, Chief Executive Officer of Meals on Wheels People.
Washington adds that seniors will now have choices around when, what and with whom to eat. She noted that today’s seniors do not fit into the same demographic as seniors a decade or two ago, as they want more menu choice, flexibility in dining times and a more traditional restaurant experience. Besides providing a reliable place for seniors to get a meal, the restaurant — which is called The Diner Vancouver — also allows them to socialize with family, friends, neighbors and patrons.
“This is a new approach that hasn’t been done before within the Meals on Wheels organization. Here in the Portland-Vancouver area, we’re both an entrepreneurial and philanthropic community, and the thoughtfulness that went into this new diner model really interested us at Bank of America. This project is truly addressing an identified community need in a creative and innovative way,” said Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s market president for Oregon and Southwest Washington. “This unique project is an example of what our Neighborhood Builders program seeks to support, which is impactful programs and solutions that address local community needs.”
Monique Barton, senior vice president at Bank of America, added: “Over the many years that we’ve partnered with Meals on Wheels and supported them philanthropically, we’ve seen first-hand how impactful their work is. We’re excited to be directing this additional support to ensure even more local seniors have nutritious options while maintaining their independence. We’re optimistic that this new diner will make a real difference in helping Meals on Wheels People achieve even more financial sustainability, to further expand its resources to address need in Clark County and throughout the Portland Metro region.” Barton noted that over the past 15 years of the BofA Neighborhood Builders program operating in the Portland market, this is the first time it’s being earmarked for a project in Vancouver, Wash.
Suzanne Washington said that so far, feedback from the community has been strong. “Right out of the gate, business has been robust. In the first few days we were open, we’ve had amazingly positive response from seniors and the community alike. We’ve also seen a lot of multi-generational diners coming in together. The Diner is truly moving us closer towards achieving our vision of no senior going hungry or lonely — all while providing an additional revenue stream, and creating new workforce development opportunities in the region,” she said. “I’d call that a win-win-win!”
In addition to sharing the news about 2019’s Neighborhood Builder winner, BofA’s Hinshaw also relayed that going forward, the Portland-Vancouver market will select two local nonprofits each year to be recipients of Neighborhood Builder $200,000 awards, up from one in recent years. Local nonprofits can learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/neighborhoodbuilders.
From Bank of America:
Through the Neighborhood Builders program, we deploy capital and build cross-sector partnerships to advance nonprofit leaders addressing economic mobility and social progress issues in the communities we serve. Since 2004, we’ve invested more than $220 million in 49 communities — including Portland — partnering with more than 1,000 nonprofits and more than 2,000 nonprofit leaders by delivering flexible funding, leadership development and a network of peers. Fifteen years on, Neighborhood Builders is one of the nation’s largest philanthropic investments in nonprofit leadership development. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about or www.bankofamerica.com/oregon.
From Meals on Wheels People:
Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives one meal at a time since 1970. They provide 5,000 nutritious meals every weekday at dozens of neighborhood dining sites throughout Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties and through Meals on Wheels delivery to homebound elderly. Their service not only alleviate hunger and social isolation, but allow seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit www.mowp.org.
Portland, OR. The Rose Festival will honor the more than 5,000 volunteers who annually donate over two million hours to help serve seniors through Meals on Wheels People. As the 2019 Portland Rose Festival official charity, Meals on Wheels People will be featured at events and celebrations including appearances in PGE/SOLVE Starlight Parade and the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade.
Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970.
Volunteers provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area.
A bit of history: In 1970, three women got together in the basement of a church in Southeast Portland to prepare and serve a hot lunch to about a dozen seniors. From 14 newspaper-wrapped meals then, to nearly 12,000 seniors served annually today, Meals on Wheels People of Portland is now among the top 10 largest senior nutrition programs in the country, and one of the very few that has never had a waiting list for meals.
“Hunger is one of the most desperate and frightening feelings anyone, let alone an isolated senior, can experience,” says Teri Bowles-Atherton (President of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation). “The Rose Festival is proud to partner with Meals on Wheels People as our Official Charity. Not only do they take care of seniors in need, they also make ethnic dishes for this very diverse community, and offer the Meals 4 kids program serving children and families experiencing low food security.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Rose Festival as their 2019 Official Charity,” said Suzanne Washington (Meals on Wheels People CEO). “This opportunity allows us to reach a broad audience with our vision that no senior will go hungry or experience social isolation. We look forward to joining in the many activities sponsored by the Rose Festival and sharing those with our senior participants.”
Their service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care.
From Meals on Wheels People:
OUR VISION
No senior will go hungry or experience social isolation.
OUR MISSION
We enrich the lives of seniors, and assist them in maintaining independence, by providing nutritious food, human connections and social support. We also use our expertise and capacity to serve other nutritionally at-risk populations.
OUR VALUES
Integrity – We work in a trustworthy, compassionate and and ethical manner.
Respect – We value the self-worth of our staff, volunteers and populations we serve.
Inclusion – We are strengthened by diversity.
Creativity – We are innovative and willing to try new approaches.
Commitment – We demonstrate quality performance and dedication.
Teamwork – Together we accomplish more.
Would you like to volunteer? Here’s a link to the Meals on Wheels People website: https://www.mowp.org
Portland, January 27th, 2016. The Sneak Peek Charity Preview Party was back for its third year offering the opportunity to support local charities and take advantage of a rare Sneak Peek at the entire auto show before the crowds.
KGW’s Cassidy Quinn did her live shots from the event.
The Auto Show Executive Director, Greg Remensperger, told crowds the event was a great kickoff for the show.
The kids loved Optimus Prime from the Transformers franchise.
Visitors were able to get up close and personal with the new Prius.
Is this the color you’d choose for your Bentley?
This year the show had added an exciting new opportunity: people who bought a ticket had the chance to win a 2016 Lexus IS 200T.
The charities which benefited including Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Portland, Meals on Wheels People, Providence Cancer Center and the Victory Academy all helped sell the tickets to the event.
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