I celebrated my birthday this year by taking the day off from work and visiting several local…read morebusinesses that I've wanted to check out for a long time. I love thrifting and estate sale shopping, so Community Warehouse was an excellent choice for me on this special day. I love Community Warehouse's mission! It's a nonprofit furniture bank that collects home goods and redistributes them to those in need. The warehouse space in the back accepts furniture donations, and houses a large collection of pieces for their program. There is also a retail space in the front of the building where visitors can peruse estate sale home goods like furniture and decor. There is a wide variety of products to choose from, and everything I saw was in excellent condition. The store is pleasantly curated, and prices are fair and well-marked. I purchased a nightstand, and found many other items that may draw me back to the store sooner than later. I'm pleased to add Community Warehouse to my regular rotation of home goods stores I frequent.

It's ok. Definitely not a "thrift store". They get some really good things, but holy cow, their…read moreonline prices are astronomical. Prices in the store tend to be slightly more reasonable, but they are creeping up as well. I understand that they use the funds for community services, which I love, but unfortunately, my friends and I can no longer afford to spend money there. Sadly, I think my days of shopping here are over. Bums me out because I loved being able to find good, affordable items while contributing to a great cause. Now it's just no longer affordable. The volunteers I've encountered are really lovely people, and they do good things for the community. I will definitely miss it.

This is a great program that helps the homeless youth of Portland. There are so many children on…read moreour streets that need this kind of help. It can help feed and house for one night, or help a youth come back into the fold of society through transitional housing and job training. It's a safe stable place to come for youths dealing with homelessness first hand. This is also a great place to volunteer if you are looking to do something for the community. There is always work to be done here. And yellow brick road always needs volunteers as well.

Weird Portland United is unique in that it coalesces Portland's whimsical characters, off-beat…read moreevents, and quirky venues to provide an alliance of weird in the city. They do this through organizing public events, participating in local festivals, and by producing a newsletter and website content about our amazing city. I attended the Weird Portland Gala in November 2019 and was blown away by the positive energy in the room. Costumed attendees came together to honor Darcelle, Mayor Bud Clark and Working Kirk Reeves as they were inducted into the Weird Portland Hall of Fame. So many of Portland's wacky personalities were present, including The Unipiper, Moshow the Cat Rapper, Toby Froud, Elvis, Mayor Bud Clark, Una the Mermaid and more. It was an amazing evening. Weird Portland United presents a monthly networking and educational event called Weird Portland Creatives. They invite guest speakers to discuss their creative endeavors in Portland. I've attended lectures by the amazingly talented Poison Waters, the founder of The Peculiarium, and Rojo the Llama. I'm happy to live in a city that celebrates it's colorful characters and weird history.

On Monday afternoons, during the Social Distancing Pandemic, the Q Center is a Food Box Pick Up…read moreCenter, run by Volunteers. See the Oregon Food Bank Website first, or just wash hands, wear a mask and drop by. Plan time to fill out a Shopping Preferences list, then a Household survey while Volunteers fill you a box or 2 of food and treats. If you get extra of anything, be sure to share it with someone you know who may have trouble carrying boxes of food. There are similar programs in different parts of the Metro area, so do begin at the OFB site and search by ZIP Code. Great places to Volunteer, if u can follow safety rules, and r low risk for bringing in a virus. I actually went online and got a Food Handlers Card to be more helpful as a Volunteer at our NoPo Food Share. This site is on #4 bus, has off-street parking, is multi-ethnic and LG Bi Trans friendly.

You want to talk about community lovin'- Q Center is bringing a whole new level to a non-profit…read moreorganization. I've learned so much about them in the past week it makes me smile on the inside and out... community work in the LGBTQ world that really really changes life. Saturday night I was at their benefit at the Nines Hotel, and I got a peek into what they are doing for our Portland Queer community. One stuck out to me, and I'll just have to quote it: "Q Center has held a 'high school' prom in the past for those people who were not able to attend with the person they cared about." Just so you understand- this means back in the 60s and 70s when there wasn't as much freedom. The image of these freed individuals dancing to classics and smiling, finally, brings a smile to my face. No matter your orientation, beliefs or political standpoint- everyone can agree that seeing a room of love can only be beautiful. The staff at Q Center only brings this flow of love, and the patrons who represent and support them return it with a big smile. They offer everything from abuse resources, to transsexual support, to a person first coming out. They also stand for the women and have a very strong back bone in the feminist community. I love Q Center.

I love Vidas Ar they have helped me and my family in so many ways! Please support this home!read more

What an amazing organization this is! "Did you know: A child from a low-income family enters first…read moregrade with an average of only 25 hours of one-to-one picture book reading, compared with 1,000 to 1,700 hours for a child from a typical middle-class home." Two thirds of low income families have no books at home. Low income families much make the harsh choice between food and books and nearly 1 in 5 preschoolers live below the poverty income level. I had the pleasure to help out doing some volunteer work with these amazing folks. We cleaned and repaired books which will be delivered to children who need them. I remember how much reading really enhanced and changed my life. Children are inspired and driven by books. Why not have a group of friends do some volunteer hours here together? Or do a book drive to get them more books. They also try to get diverse books for our wonderfully diverse community here where English might be the second language or books in which people of all colors and backgrounds are represented. I can't wait to volunteer again!

The Children's Book Bank fills a gap in society that most of us dont think about and is extremely…read morenecessary. The CBB provides bags of 14 books (13 used and 1 new) to low income children. It creates a beginning library for local homes that (statistically) do not have books. My group volunteered here on Saturday morning. Jean spent the first 30 minutes detailing the activities of the bank and statistics. We all shared our favorite childhood books and then spent 2 hours cleaning the gently used donated books. Jean showed us several methods on how to turn a old book into new again. I left the Children's Book Bank in happy tears for all the local children getting their green books bags soon. In the future Ill continue to donate my time to this organization.

Well organized and great prices! Not a super large store but was impressed with the variety of…read moreitems to choose from. Friendly staff and have a selection of items 50% off each day. Enjoyed popping in and would definitely drop in again when in the area!

The store had decent items, but my primary takeaway was that it was quite small and didn't have a…read morewhole lot to see. I much prefer shopping at the Arc's Value Village, which is huge with tons of inventory. Maybe that's why this one is referred to as a boutique, though I didn't feel that the items were super high end like is implied by being a boutique. I'm glad I visited, but I wouldn't go out of my way to return.

Very well organized process when helping package up food. This is such an amazing organization that…read morehelps our communities. The signup process is painless and I encourage everyone if able to help give back in a small way that makes a big difference.

Oh My Goodness, I didn't realize that the Oregon Food Bank was a hub to so many central charities…read more They distribute nutritious meals to the community. McDonald's was a proud volunteer today, helping to package food items. Today, we sorted and repacked pancake mix to go out to various organizations. You also have to label the items with nutritional information as well as a cooking label. What's good is that anyone can volunteer to share your time by working with them. Only requirement is that you're 16 years of age with an adult or 18 years or older. So come by yourself as Devon did or come as a group. It is a great way to give back to the community. They also give tours so you can truly understand the impact hunger has on the community, the state. I truly was blessed by this event.