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Pacific Power announces new grants to support Oregon, Washington and Northern California communities this spring

PORTLAND, Ore. — Even as COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country, many communities are still facing challenges from the pandemic and the organizations that support them are still seeing unprecedented demand. For organizations that are also supporting the rebuilding efforts in areas affected by last year’s Labor Day Storm, the demand is even greater.

In spite of the odds, local programs that address critical issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, domestic violence, child abuse, elder issues, mental health and community safety have continued to find creative new ways to deliver help quickly and safely, even while facing additional budget constraints.

As part of the company’s commitment to supporting its communities, PacifiCorp Foundation, a nonprofit arm of Pacific Power, is donating more than $525,000 across the six states it serves. The funding goes to support a total of 209 safety and wellness grants as part of the most recent round of quarterly grants provided by the foundation each year. The next grant cycle is now open through June 15; organizations may apply online.

“We celebrate these heroic organizations that have continued to reinvent and reimagine ways they can help our communities’ most vulnerable,” said Stefan Bird, president and CEO of Pacific Power. “Although we see brighter days ahead, Pacific Power remains deeply committed to supporting the work of these organizations, helping to fortify our communities, so they are strong and resilient.”

The following grants were given to organizations providing critical safety and wellness programs:

Portland area

  • Bradley Angle for support of The Kinship Project, which is designed to help children and address the impacts of domestic violence and intergenerational trauma disproportionately experienced by Black/African American families in the Portland area.
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro Area for food distribution to youth and families who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially people of color.
  • Boy Scouts of America – Cascade Pacific Council for furthering diversity, equity and inclusion practices within the organization.
  • De Paul Youth Residential Treatment Center for COVID-safe, single-use art supplies to help patients working toward healthy, successful lives in recovery.
  • Friendly House to support LGBT+ seniors with case-management, informational and referral services, transportation assistance, essential supplies and virtual community-building programming during the pandemic.
  • Friends of the Children to adapt programming for COVID that benefits children with mentoring, virtual activity supplies, school supplies, and weekly delivery of nutritious snacks.
  • Growing Gardens to develop a community garden in the Parkrose area and provide virtual lessons to help low-income Spanish-speaking residents grow, cook and preserve their own food.
  • Hollywood Senior Center for providing food boxes, personal protective equipment and supplies to vulnerable, low-income seniors so they can remain safely at home.
  • Impact NW to support the growing need amid the pandemic for homelessness prevention services for families with children, including rent and utility assistance, food, clothing and transportation.
  • March of Dimes Foundation to provide implicit bias training for 100 health care providers, which helps reduce disparities in maternal and infant health.
  • Meals on Wheels People for food and food-service supplies for the 8,000 daily meals provided to homebound elderly in the greater Portland metro area, a need exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Merry Heart Children’s Camp to provide camping experiences for children with heart conditions.
  • Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp for supplies and equipment to ensure a safe, sanitary experience as children return for in-person camping experiences.
  • Neighborhood House for in-school childcare and distance-learning support to help children from low-income homes adapt to COVID-19 impacts.
  • National Urban Housing & Economic Community Development Corporation to support the COVID-19 virtual diaper drive for safe babies and safe moms.
  • Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon to help provide emergency food assistance during the pandemic. 
  • The Pathfinder Network for expansion of the children’s activities program that provides mental health support and activities for children of justice-impacted parents.
  • Portland Rescue Mission for the New Life Wellness Program to improve the physical health of men participating in the long-term recovery program as they work toward success in sobriety and stability.
  • Portland Street Medicine for COVID response and diversity, equity and inclusion training and planning so the organization can more effectively deliver medical care to the homeless population.
  • Rose Haven to support modified COVID-19 operations, including meals, restrooms, showers, phone charging and other services for abused and homeless women and children.
  • Store to Door for 16,500 grocery deliveries and friendly visits to 900 homebound seniors throughout the Portland metro area.
  • Special Olympics Oregon for 2021 Winter Virtual Games which provides physical fitness opportunities and social connections for intellectually disabled Oregonians during COVID-19.
  • Society of St. Vincent de Paul Portland Chapter for an ADA accessible ramp and associated energy repair to ensure food pantry access for disabled people.
  • TherapyWorks NW for personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies so the organization can continue to safely provide vital therapy to medically fragile patients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Willamette Valley

  • Boys and Girls Club of Albany for kitchen upgrades so the facility can efficiently and safely feed as many children as possible while schools are closed.
  • Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis for support of a no-fee, drop-in teen center for low-income teens during the pandemic, which will provide a safe space for distance-learning support and tutoring, mentoring, meals, health services and workforce development.
  • CASA of Marion County to support adapting recruitment and training of volunteers to a virtual model to ensure every foster child in the county has access to a trained, compassionate court appointed special advocate even during the pandemic.
  • Community Outreach to support the Transformational Housing program that provides men, women and families with children a safe, warm place to sleep as well as medical care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, childcare, like-skills classes
  • Dallas Food Bank – Emergency Food Corp. for replacement of a commercial freezer to help the food bank reliably meet the growing need for food assistance in the Dallas area.
  • Family Building Blocks to support the relief nursery therapeutic early childhood program in Santiam Canyon, which ensures children at high-risk of abuse and neglect receive the supports needed to meet developmental milestones and also helps parents.
  • Hand in Hand Farm for the purchase of a wood chipper that will help in providing vocational-skills training to youth and adults. 
  • Liberty House to ensure mental health support is available to meet the escalating numbers of Polk County children who have been the victims of sexual and physical abuse.
  • Old Mill Center for Children and Families for cleaning and safety supplies so that, during the pandemic, the center can continue to safely provide in-person mental health services, which is especially important for younger children dealing with trauma.
  • PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center Foundation for their Patient Dignity Fund, which supplies critical support to patients with limited resources by helping pay for medical supplies, equipment, medication other expenses not covered by insurance.
  • Polk Adolescent Day Treatment Center for STEM equipment and furnishings to be used in two new classrooms, which will allow the center to expand their capacity to assist more youth.
  • South Lane Mental Health Services for mental health care for vulnerable, low-income clients, many of whom have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
  • Volunteer Caregivers to help cover the cost of medical transportation for low-income seniors in Linn County.

Northern Oregon Coast

  • Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific to support the Operation School Bell and Duffle Bag programs that assist a growing number of children in need in Clatsop County with clothing and toiletries.
  • Clatsop Community Action for COVID-19 emergency food resources for children and families in Clatsop County.
  • City of Cannon Beach to help construct housing for communication equipment for the Cannon Beach Medical Reserve Corps, which responds to the community in a disaster.
  • Warrenton-Hammond School District to provide computers and wi-fi access for low-income families and support the food backpack program to better equip students for future success.

Central Oregon

  • Bridge Meadows for construction of a therapy room that clinicians will use to provide individual, family and group therapy for foster families and limited-income elders.
  • Council on Aging of Central Oregon to support the community dining program that serves grab-and-go meals to older adults at four locations throughout Central Oregon to help prevent food insecurity, malnutrition and social isolation.
  • Deschutes Children’s Foundation to help fund the facilities at four area campuses that provide space for partner organizations that work on important issues such as preventing child abuse, advocating for children in foster care and delivering other crucial services for children and families.
  • Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center to maintain services for disabled, low-income participants who have been impacted heavily by the pandemic.
  • Hunger Prevention Coalition of Central Oregon for the purchase of fruits, vegetables, milk and eggs to help ensure nutritious meals for people struggling with the loss of income during the pandemic.
  • Jericho Road for food and supplies to use in their free, hot meal program, weekend food backpack program for students and homeless camp outreach program.
  • KIDS Center to support their child abuse prevention team’s SafetyNet internet safety training curriculum that teaches parents how to keep children safe from risky on-line behavior.
  • Lines for Life for support scholarships and a work-study program for YouthLine volunteers on the Warm Springs Reservation who provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention by phone for young people ages 10-24.
  • Redmond Senior Center for the Thrive Together program which is helping older adults in Central Oregon overcome isolation and thrive, especially during the pandemic, by facilitating virtual relationships, providing accessing to online learning activities, and fostering community building among older adults, volunteers and community partners.
  • Sparrow Clubs for support a Sparrow Project in Central Oregon, which not only provides financial and emotional support for a child in medical need, but also empowers youth to help others through community service.
  • The Shield to help provide prompt, effective, no-cost mental health services to Central Oregon’s veterans and first responders, and to respond to a rising need for services because of COVID-19 and extreme wildfires.
  • St. Vincent de Paul Society of Crook County to supply emergency help to the growing number of low-income individuals who need temporary financial assistance with housing, emergency shelter, transportation and other needs.

Umpqua Valley

  • Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for the construction of a rescue building in the Umpqua National Forest near Diamond Lake to serve as an incident and command post during search and rescue missions and other emergency situations in this remote area.
  • Salvation Army Roseburg for assisting with COVID-19 relief for vulnerable families and individuals, including rent payments, car insurance, cellphone payments, food and other essential services.

Southern Oregon Coast

  • Oregon Coast Community Action to help fund the foster-parent emergency support line that has provided critical coaching and support to foster parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Southern Oregon/Northern California

  • Asante Foundation for the purchase of clothes washers and dryers and new linens for the Francis Cheney Family Place, a guest residence for out-of-town patients and family members who are receiving care at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
  • Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Oregon to provide credit counseling to low-income residents of Del Norte County, Calif., to help them overcome poverty.
  • Friends of the Children of the Klamath Basin for essential mentoring services for at-risk children during the pandemic to help them become strong, resilient community members.
  • Great Northern Services for helping supply free summer lunch services for children in disadvantaged communities throughout Siskiyou County.
  • Hornbrook Community Association for ADA restroom improvements as they rebuild a community space after the area was devasted during a wildfire.
  • Illinois Valley Family Coalition to help maintain essential services, including emergency food boxes, for this community that has been affected by the pandemic and wildfires. 
  • Klamath Basin Senior Citizens’ Center for supplying nutritional support to seniors through Meals-on-Wheels and critical transportation services.
  • Klamath KID Center for a new hot water heater for this facility that has provided essential daycare services for the area, even during the pandemic.
  • Pregnancy Hope Center to initiate a car-seat program and a safe-sleep program for low-income families to help reduce Klamath County’s high infant mortality rate.
  • Siskiyou Family YMCA to help renovate and refurbish the gymnasium that, in addition to providing a space for recreation, also serves as space for community events and a childcare program for frontline workers.
  • Sky Lakes Medical Center’s Klamath-Lakes CARES program for crisis response to at-risk children, especially during COVID-19 restrictions.
  • St. Martin’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry for purchase of a generator and food supplies so the pantry can continue to help families and individuals in Jackson County who are struggling with food insecurity.
  • Upper Rogue Community Center for an emergency backup generator for the center which serves as an emergency Red Cross disaster shelter for the Shady Cove area in Jackson County.
  • Wilderness Trails to provide camping experiences to help the health and well-being of at-risk and foster youth from Southern Oregon.

Washington

  • Heartlinks Hospice & Palliative Care to support pediatric palliative care patients who are facing life-threatening illnesses, which is especially important as the pandemic has increase social isolation. 
  • Camp Prime Time for “camperships” that allow children with special needs or serious illnesses safely escape COVID isolation and attend camp with other children dealing with similar issues.
  • Yakima Neighborhood Health Services for purchase of a barrier-free exam chair and table to accommodate the needs of wheelchair-bound and other disabled veterans visiting the Veterans Clinic at Chuck Austin Place, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2021.
  • Children’s Home Society of Washington to provide car seats and bike helmets through the SafeKids Walla Walla Valley Riding Safe Program for low-income, high-risk children.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness of Washington to provide mental health outreach programs to middle, high school and college students in Walla Walla and Yakima counties.
  • Providence St. Mary Foundation to fund the Good Samaritan program that provides direct assistance to Providence patients in Walla Walla, Umatilla and Columbia counties who need help with expenses critical to recovery such as transportation to appointments, medical equipment, food or prescriptions.
  • Trilogy Recovery Community to ensure they can continue to provide recovery support for mental health and substance abuse, particularly to vulnerable youth and Latino community members.
  • Walla Walla County Department of Community Health for supplies and educational information for preventative and restorative dental care for Medicaid-eligible children from birth to age six.
  • Garfield County Fire District for the purchase of a stair chair so they can safely and efficiently move medical patients down stairs, through narrow hallways or around obstacles. 

To learn more about the foundation, visit pacificpower.net/foundation.