This church, located at 12505 Northeast Halsey Street, is transforming their image from a “regular” church into a center for the community. A community center that cares about the Portland area. What we, as community members, are going through. Our struggles. Our battles. These wonderful people care about our future.

Please support them in any way you can. Any help would be invaluable to others going through a rough spot in their lives. Or, if you don’t feel like you have the time or goods, any monetary  help you could give would be phenomenal! Donate time, energy, or even money to further this wonderful cause. If you would like to sign up for the homeless shelter, please contact us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com or call 503-953-6018, or contact the church (and Brian) directly at 503-252-3888 and we will get you set up!

Anything that you can give would be helpful. Do you have some extra canned or boxed food in your cupboards? How about going through your closet and seeing what you don’t wear anymore. These unworn clothes, or uneaten food, donation you could make would be extremely helpful.

Please support these organizations. They are doing such wonderful and important work. Please join us in our fight to regain a community!

Not affiliated with any cause other than humanity,

Seth and Michelle

Now, onto the good stuff! We’ve Got Time to Help is still running strong. We, and our many volunteers, are still out and about in our neighborhoods and communities trying to help those that we can. This summer has been busy with moving, some yard work, and a few odd jobs. It’s been a little slower than the winter months, but it seems to be picking up again. We can’t thank everyone enough that has helped out those in need these last few months (but we’ll try)!

That being said, we would love to see our volunteers get reenergized! There are still thousands of people, in Portland alone, that could still use a hand up. It’s been a couple of years since the economic meltdown’s height, but there are so many of our friends and neighbors that are still struggling. Let none of us forget (that includes Michelle and I) that we still have so many opportunities to help others. We still have so much power to change the direction of so many lives.

We can do anything, as an involved community, that we want to. We can choose to help as little or as much as we want to. We can choose to return to “The Old Way” of doing things. We can choose to put our blinders on, put our heads down, and push our way through life. Or, we can choose to do things “The New Way”. In this version, we keep our heads up, our eyes open. We don’t walk past those who need help. We don’t turn our heads. We don’t pretend to ignore.

During the apex of the economic turndown we banded together, as a community, like we have never seen before. We were witness to the awe-inspiring power that individuals have when we band together for something other than ourselves. For a short time, we stopped worrying about ourselves and realized that others needed help, too. They had needs greater than our own.

Michelle and I liken it to people that are buried under rubble after an earthquake. You see people, most of them complete strangers, trying with all their might to dig these trapped people out. They group together to pull the heavy concrete and wood pieces off of others. You see the rescuers coordinating and communicating with each other like they had been doing it all their lives. They come together and do whatever it takes to save those around them. Then, you notice the rescuers. They aren’t the fire dept, police, or any other government agency. They are just average people. They are friends, neighbors, and strangers alike. Then you notice that they are injured, too. They are bleeding and dirty and scared. But they aren’t thinking about that. Some of them don’t ever realize that they are hurt. They, collectively, have one purpose. To help those around them that are in greater need.

The last many years has been our earthquake. Not a literal one, but a financial one. But make no mistake; this earthquake has split this land apart. It has torn down lives and uprooted families. It has destroyed dreams and ruined futures. It doesn’t really matter if your house is in pieces because of an earthquake, or if the bank says that you need to move. Either way, you don’t have a home anymore. This has taken a toll on everyone. Some more than others, but everyone has been affected.

We speak for no one but ourselves (Michelle and Seth). But we give you our word, that we will be just as committed today and tomorrow and the next day, as we were a year ago. We will do our very best to coordinate with others to help rescue those still below. We will try with all our strength to pull out those still left under the rubble.

Because just like in a “real” earthquake after time has gone by, there is still a lot left to do, a lot of people that still need help, and a lot of rubble to clear.

Seth and Michelle
503-953-6018
Want to join us? Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com

We went from hoping to complete a few projects in a year, to being overwhelmed with the amount of people in need for help that exists in our city. Because of the hard economic times this country is experiencing, normal channels for assistance (i.e. agencies that help with food, clothing, rent, volunteers) have been inundated with people calling for help. The agencies resource pools have been stretched too thin and, sometimes, emptied altogether.

We still continue to get calls for help weekly and we continue to help those that we can. We have a great group of volunteers (though, we always welcome more) and they travel throughout the city helping those that have contacted us for help. We have been fortunate enough to help 100’s of people over the last 16 months and we look forward to helping more this year.

The recurring theme in the messages we receive from people that need help is that of hope. Hope. People call us for hope more than they call us for labor, food, or clothing. People call us because they are at, or near, their wit’s end and they don’t know what to do. They have tried going through various channels for help, only to be told that there is not enough to go around. We want to put an end to “not enough”. We believe we can.

Hope is an amazing thing. People call us with tales of hunger, home loss, job loss, personal loss, and myriad difficulties. But, most still have hope. Hope that things will change. Hope that times will get better. Hope that their situation will get better. Hope that someone still cares. And if someone calls us that seems to have lost their hope, we do our best to give them a little. We tell them that we will do everything in our power to help them. We will not walk away from them. We will stand by them in their darkest hour. If people feel that there is even the slightest glimmer of hope, a little sliver far off in the distance, they can keep going. It’s the ones that have lost all hope, that don’t seem to have the energy to keep pushing on.

So, my friends, let’s get reenergized! Let’s set out, every day, to help someone in need. Friends, neighbors, strangers. It doesn’t matter how small or grand the gesture. It matters not what the circumstances are. It doesn’t matter to whom you lend a hand. What matters is that you are keeping hope alive. You are saying “I will not let anyone around me lose hope”. I will fight the good fight. I will be strong when others cannot be. I will pay it forward. I will stand for all that is good and right and say “not on my watch”.

Join us?

Take care and good luck,
Seth and Michelle

Ellen from Rose Haven sent us an email stating “Volunteers are needed during hospitality next week and all of May – we are short volunteers to help with food service and the shop. A couple of hours any Monday*, Tuesday or Wednesday morning from 8:30 – 12:30 would be a help to the staff and guests. We also have lots of sorting, organizing and getting ready for spring in the shop. (*our biggest need for volunteers is on Monday).” If you can help out, please give Ellen a call at 503 248-6364, ext. 305 or 503 784-6192 (cell).

Next, we were contacted by Edith from Human Solutions and she could use some volunteers to help with a clothing fair they are having. Here is her email to us:
“We have a Homeless Family Warming Center that will closing at the end of this month and we have accumulated a lot of donations, especially clothing and we would like to hold a clothing fair for the community to disperse the clothing for free. I am looking for volunteers who would be able to assist myself and staff load bags of clothing from the Warming Center basement on a U-haul on Thursday April 29th and unload it at Eastminster. Then would need some organizers to sort the clothing on Friday April 30th and Monday May 3rd and have the clothes ready for set up in the Fellowship hall on Tuesday May 4th.

The actual event will be on Wednesday May 5th and Thursday May 6th time of the event TBD, ( it will start in the morning, ending sometime in the late afternoon).

I am hoping that this is something that you would be able to assist us with. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions or would like more information.”

If you have some Time to Help, please feel free to call Edith at (503) 256-2280

Last, but certainly not least, an elderly woman contacted us that is moving. What she could use help with is loading her U-Haul and taking some things to a storage facility. She is moving on the 29th of April (this Thursday) and anyone is welcome to help at any time during the day. Her home is in inner SE PDX. If you can lend a hand, please call Terrye at 503-956-9136.

A big thank you to everyone that has been helping out over the last few week!! Keep paying it forward!!

Take care and have a great day,
Seth and Michelle

As their website states, “This groundbreaking program enables hospice patients to keep their Pets at home with them throughout their end-of-life journey. It is another way – a significant way – that Banfield Charitable Trust continues its mission to fund or administer programs that find innovative ways to keep Pets and families together.”

You can also take a look at their blog, Pet Peace of Mind. They are a wonderful group of people doing some amazing work. Keep it up guys!

Seth and Michelle

So, after much deliberation and planning, we have decided to open our own business. It just seemed like the right time and the right thing to do. I don’t know how many of you know, but Michelle and I are bird watchers. We have been feeding and watching birds for many years now. We have also been making our own suet (a type of food for birds) for years. We have spent the last few months perfecting our recipe and finding suppliers, getting licences, setting up a website (NePo Suet Company), etc. etc. We are now set up and selling our suet online and in a couple of stores in Portland. We have received a lot of orders from all over the country and business is picking up every day. We feel very lucky to have this up and running.

The reason for us writing this post it to make sure that people still know we are around. Yes, we are still here. We are still helping people on a regular basis. We just haven’t been very good about posting lately. We have had many smaller projects going on over the last couple of months, just nothing on a large scale. There are some projects coming up in the not so distant future that will be on a fairly large scale.

There will soon be a community revitalizing project going on in a NE neighborhood that will need a lot of support and as many neighbors as we can get to help. As soon as we get some more info, we will let everyone know the details. It should be a very fun and worthwhile project!

So, thank you to everyone who continues to help their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who helps to make our community a better place to live. Thank you to everyone that lends a hand to someone that is needs. Thank you to everyone to who continues to spread hope.

Seth and Michelle

It took us 2 pickup loads full of gravel but we finished the project in just a couple of hours. We finished so quickly because of the hard work put in by so many volunteers.

A big and heartfelt “Thank you” to Meri, Julie, Mel, Louanne, Inman, David, Daniel and Seth.

Another successful group project completed!

We are open to any ideas people may have on how we can all get more involved, start new community projects, or just be better neighbors.

So, if you Have the Time, please come by and let’s make Portland an even better place to live!

Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com for our address. Thanks so much and we hope to see you all there!

Seth and Michelle

Thank you to everyone that donated items and goods to them! Margena, Mel, Rachael, Michelle, and quite a few anonymous donors. Thank you to everyone!

Well, to say that this has been an interesting year would be quite an understatement. It has been full of ups and downs, but mostly ups. We started this group in the beginning of February and it has far exceeded our wildest dreams. We were able to, with the help of many, many volunteers, lend a hand to over 100 families and individuals! That’s incredible! Absolutely amazing.

We originally started this to help all of the unemployed people in Portland. To get them out of the house, away from the job search and helping those in our communities that need a hand. We envisioned being able to help 5 or 10 people out. We never imagined that we would be able to help so many.

There are a few regrets. One of the biggest regrets I (Seth) have, is not being able to help more people out because of my battle with alcoholism and depression. There have been times throughout the year that I haven’t fulfilled my obligations to my neighbors because of my struggles. For that, I deeply apologize. The new year holds much more promise and I feel that my struggles are quickly fading into my past.

On to happier items! We have been able to do some real good. Make some really positive impacts on people’s lives. It has been an incredible journey and well worth the effort. We have made so many new friends because of this. We have met so many wonderful and giving people over the last 10 months. Because of all of you, our faith and hope in humanity has grown exponentially! Thank you.

Our goal for the new year is not only to continue helping those that we can, but also to bring neighbors and neighborhoods closer together. We would like to start hosting neighborhood get togethers and block parties. We would like to start tool and food exchange. We want to start a knowledge exchange by having monthly classes with things like gardening, canning, and cooking as the topics. We want to do anything that brings people closer together as friends and neighbors. The more we know each other, the better off we will all be.

So, please, help us reach out to even more people this year. Volunteer in your area. Get out and help a neighbor. Organize a neighborhood potluck (it’s actually pretty easy). Make a point to get out into your neighborhood and introduce yourself to some of your neighbors you don’t know.

Let’s all pledge to make a difference in at least one other person’s life this year.

All the best,
Seth and Michelle