Biting the hand that feeds
The kids at the Merc reported this week that Sisters of the Road, one of the old-timers in the vast Portland homeless nonprofit industry, is having trouble raising the money it would take to purchase a nicer space. I'm not surprised. That organization has turned into a font of far-left rhetoric of late. They're no longer focused just on feeding hungry people. Now they're a "social justice organization" that fights colonialism. I've written about it several times.
Those extreme politics are a turnoff for a lot of people with money. And those folks have a lot of other options when it comes to giving alms to the poor.
Just feed the hungry!
ReplyDeleteI belong to an organization that supported the Oregon Food Bank with donations and labor for a long time. This month, we voted to stop doing that...because of their political nonsense over "food justice for Gaza" or whatever it is they call it.
ReplyDeleteWe have shifted our support to a student-run food bank at Mt Hood Community College called "Barney's Pantry." As a two-fer they give work opportunities to special-needs adults. One of our members has a 21-year-old special needs son that benefits from this.
We looked at Sisters of the Road in trying to find an alternative to the OFB. We came to the same conclusion...that SoR is a political organization; not a charitable one.
Good call.
DeleteI shifted donations from OFB to the Sunshine Division. Seems like OFB wants to spend more and more time and money on politics, and less on feeding hungry people.
DeleteAgreed
DeleteI read this statement to the Oregon Food Bank. I think one key point you're missing is that the US is funding Israel. It is not funding Hamas. Israel is even pursuing what looks to be a policy of starvation in northern Gaza. But sure, go ahead with your both sidesism.
Deletehttps://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24733492-a-jewish-statement-to-the-oregon-food-bank?responsive=1&title=1
Hey, it's a free country, they can get into all the issues they want. But they won't get nearly as much money as when they were simply feeding people, no questions asked, and sticking to that. This isn't just about Gaza. Sisters preaches on a lot of other issues. Which won't get them the money they want for new quarters.
DeleteAs for the Oregon Food Bank, they've been completely hijacked. When they told us last year not to give thanks to God on Thanksgiving because it was too "colonial," they lost me forever. There are many other options for philanthropy to combat hunger.
They must have taken a wrong turn on the "road" somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAt one time they were a really good and solid organization, but not any longer. They have strayed far from their mission, and it’s not at all surprising they aren’t getting the donations they once did. They have just turned into another part of the “non profit” hobo services industrial complex, that doesn’t actually want to solve hobo issues.
ReplyDelete