Category Archives: Tigard Good Neighbor Center

A local shelter in Tigard, OR providing emergency shelter to families.

Guttural Inspiration

“Nature abhors a vacuum.  And so do I.” – Anne Gibbons Gloves, trowel, buckets, hangers, trash bags, hoses, and a ladder were set out in our garage, ready for action. Not for our house, but another kind of house. The … Continue reading

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Climbing In Her Skin

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” – Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird I revisited an emergency last … Continue reading

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Little Margin For Error

“Seldom do people discern Eloquence under a threadbare cloak.” – Juvenal I received this fundraising request from the Tigard Good Neighbor Center the other day. It is a stark reminder that something simple like a day off of work isn’t so … Continue reading

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When I Am Old, I Won’t Care How Much TV I Watched

“When I’m old, I won’t care how much TV I watched.” – Gary, from the Tigard Good Neighbor Center That’s what Gary, an employee at the Good Neighbor Center, told me this morning as I finished up painting over the … Continue reading

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Patching A Hole, Patching The Whole

“Nothing can be done except little by little.” – Charles Baudelaire Even though a month has passed since our most excellent Christmas adventure, the Tigard Good Neighbor Center continued to do their good work with an army of volunteers and crack staff. Families … Continue reading

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Post-Christmas Resolution, Day 365 – It’s About Community

“We cannot live only for ourselves.  A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville The end of my year-long project to give time has arrived. It is only fitting that it concludes with perhaps the most important … Continue reading

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Post-Christmas Resolution, Day 363* – Giving Conduits

“There are two ways of spreading light – to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton, Vesalius in Zante Conduits are always moving but never move. Highways move goods across the nation. Pipes move life giving water. … Continue reading

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Post-Christmas Resolution, Day 259 – There Is More In Us Than We Know

Volunteering as the overnight host, I spent a very long, sleepless night at the Good Neighbor Center followed by a very brief, insightful moment.  Last night at the Good Neighbor Center there was, A woman sobbing for no apparent reason A … Continue reading

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Post-Christmas Resolution, Day 244 – It’s Not About What We Lose. It’s About What We Have Left

Spent the night at the Tigard Good Neighbor Center as the overnight volunteer host.  Spending the night at a family shelter is a brief look at what it might be like to be homeless. Families have lost their home, or apartment. … Continue reading

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Post-Christmas Resolution, Day 243 – Pick Up Some Extra School Supplies

Taking some extra school supplies to the Tigard Good Neighbor Center tonight.  If you are at one of the discount retailers and see some good deals on school supplies, go ahead and pick some up and drop them off at … Continue reading

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