Portland Volunteer Opportunities for Thanksgiving are Abundant

Portland Volunteer Opportunities for Thanksgiving are Abundant

Portland Rescue Mission

Meal Time: 6 pm, Thursday
111 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209
503-906-7690

A traditional meal is also served on Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving.

Union Gospel Mission

Meal Time: 10 am, Thursday
3 NW 3rd Ave
503-274-4483

A traditional meal will be served to-go on Thanksgiving Day.

Portland Rescue Mission started in 1949. Over 70 years later, it’s still known for compassionate care to homeless men, women, and children. The nonprofit has 4 different locations and also provides long-term recovery care.

US Bank Corp volunteers assemble snack bags at Union Gospel Mission of Portland

Other Thanksgiving Volunteer Opportunities:

Blanchet House does not serve meals on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day so that its shelter residents who help to prepare and serve meals can enjoy a day of rest. The nonprofit has volunteer opportunities that you can do from home on Thanksgiving. See below.

From Blanchet House:

You can volunteer from home by doing one of the following meaningful activities.

Make Sack Lunches

Sack lunch donated for the holidays

Prepare 10-100 sack lunches and drop them off at Blanchet House. Review our Sack Lunch How-To for the details.

Assemble Care Kits

Volunteer donates care kit

Pack care kits containing essential survival items like socks, toiletries, rain ponchos, and snacks.

Host A Clothing Drive

Knit hat donation

Our guests are in need of adult-sized seasonally appropriate clothing and sleeping essentials.

Drop Off at Blanchet House

Donations can be dropped off Mon-Sat*, at 310 NW Glisan St. from 8 – 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 4 p.m. *We are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Pull up to our entrance, knock on the door to get our attention, and a staff member will retrieve your donation from the car. If you’d like a donation receipt, we can provide one. You can also call us at 503-241-4340 or email [email protected].

If you would like to volunteer on-site at Blanchet House on a day that is not a holiday sign up here. Blanchet House is open Mon-Sat, except for New Years Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. We are open all other holidays.

Have a question? Blanchet House Frequently Asked Questions

Adventist Health Unites Communities in Annual Celebration of Thanksgiving Concert

Adventist Health Unites Communities in Annual Celebration of Thanksgiving Concert

Portland, OR. Nearly 2,000 people filled New Hope Church in Happy Valley, Oregon, on November 23rd. The community came together for a free concert supporting local community aid organizations. Adventist Health Portland presented its annual Celebration of Thanksgiving concert as an expression of gratitude for the community’s faith and support.  Adventist Health Portland includes Adventist Health Portland Medical Center in southeast Portland, a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care facility, offering a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. Clinically integrated with OHSU, Adventist Health Medical Group represents more than 100 primary care and specialty physicians who treat and admit their patients to Adventist Medical Center. Pictured above are people sorting out the generous food donations.

Dr. Terry Johnsson

Matt Maher performs for the crowd

The event opened with performances by a praise band made up of Adventist Health employees, including Joyce Newmyer, Adventist Health Pacific Northwest Region president. Headliner and contemporary Christian artist Matt Maher took the stage, Maher has written and produced nine solo albums and penned many well-known praise and worship songs.

People enjoying the concert

Joyce Newmyer, president of Adventist Health, shares a message of thanks with guests at the 11th annual Celebration of Thanksgiving concert.

Collecting socks for Portland Rescue Mission

Young folks donating food

This year’s guests contributed 1,900 pounds of food for Portland Adventist Community Services (PACS) and more than 3,000 pairs of socks for the Portland Rescue Mission in place of admission for the concert. The celebration of Thanksgiving has raised more than 12 tons of nonperishable food donations since its inception in 2009. More than 10,000 pairs of socks have been donated since this emphasis was added in 2016. Previous performers include Phillips, Craig and Dean; Point of Grace; Rebecca St. James; Selah; and Sandi Patty.

From Adventist Health:

Adventist Health services in Portland are part of Adventist Health a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii. Our compassionate and talented team of 33,300 includes more than 24,600 employees; 5,000 medical staff physicians; and 3,700 volunteers working together in pursuit of one mission: living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness, and hope. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in 19 hospitals, more than 280 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 13 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies, and four joint-venture retirement centers.

From The Portland Rescue Mission:

The Portland Rescue Mission has had a tireless commitment to breaking the cycle of homelessness, addiction and despair in the lives of hurting people in need. We offer emergency services of food and shelter at our original downtown location at the Burnside Shelter. And we’ve expanded those services to include 24/7 restrooms, showers, clothing, mail service, referrals and community activities in the Guest Care Center.Thanks to generous community support, we’ve expanded our ministry to include a wide range of programs designed to meet a hurting person at their point of need and help them toward their journey home. This includes our 3-month Connect program for men and women, and our New Life Ministries for men and women at The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door, respectively. Portland Rescue Mission also includes our Drive Away Hunger car sales and donations program and Mission Bar-B-Que catering. Proceeds support all of our programs to give hope and restore life to hurting people.

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