What do you do to be a supportive neighbor?

These inspirational stories come from neighbors who have found enriching experiences in the act of reaching out. What do you do to be a supportive neighbor?

Carpooling & Sharing Your Abundance with Neighbors

"I live in the Woodstock Neighborhood and know many of my neighbors. If I am ever running to the grocery store, I invite my 75-year-old neighbor to go along. I have known her since I was 3 years old. My grandparents raised my mom, aunt, and uncle in the same intersection that we live in. Going to the store has become a fun social outing instead of a dull shopping errand. She enjoys getting a ride, getting out, and catching up. We share our abundance with our neighbors. Whenever we have too much of something, like fruit, bakery items, or home-grown veggies, we bring the extra to our immediate neighbors. I was making cookies for a gathering and realized I was out of oatmeal. I went running across the street to borrow a couple of cups from my neighbor. A car passed by and probably thought “look at that lady running with a measuring cup in her PJs,” but that is what I like about our relationship. We aren’t just neighbors, we are family!"

-Woodstock Neighbor

Learning Customs and Making Friends
"We tell our children that it is very important to have friends and be nice to others. Our neighbors can also be our friends. In our culture, there is a statement: it is needed to rely on your relatives first, then your neighbors secondly. Some of us are fortunate enough to live by our relatives, but we all have neighbors next door. I watch over my son and our neighbor’s son while they play outside. I encourage them to play ball together and to get to know each other’s customs. They have both learned about each other’s New Year’s traditions. I believe that it is a good value to have respect toward different cultures. I learned that my neighbor has the same expectations as mine towards our children’s education, behavior, and health. We are not so much different as we thought. "
- Portland Neighbor

If you would like to share your story about being a supportive neighbor, email us! Read more inspirational stories at our website!

Inspiration Through Volunteers

A new and exciting batch of magnets have come into the warehouse…made by volunteers! They were craftily created by the students of Douglas High School’s PACE class. The students and their teacher came and scavenged for good magnet making materials. They took them back to the classroom and eureka! Magnets galore! The proceeds fund an education scholarship that helps those with limited resources attend ReBuilding Center classes and workshops.

Thank you so much Douglas High School for your innovative volunteering and beautiful magnet artwork. We are so grateful for your contribution!

Magnets made by Douglas High School students.

In other volunteer news, Portland Youth Builders contributed this beautiful and inspirational addition to our warehouse:

"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community."

Thank you PYB! You are truly an embodiment of this message.