Once upon a time, I lived in an old house in the Midwest. I loved that place, but every year and without fail we experienced one of the many “joys” of owning a home: plumbing problems. Now, I think that everyone should have a mandatory time spent living without running water in at least one of their rooms- laundry, bathroom, or kitchen. Which would you take away, and how fast do you think you would gain an appreciation for clean underwear, flushing toilets, sparkling teeth, drinking water, and of course warm showers? Now imagine that not only is your water gone, but so is your home, and this morning you have an interview that you will be showing up to with dirty hair, a stained shirt, and less-than-desirable breath.
Most of us, including the Daylight team, cannot fathom living without these essential comforts. Outside of the occasional road trip, I’ve never slept inside a car, let alone on the street. Realistically, I have never concerned myself with worrying about clean, warm water. However, if a person lives in Portland metro, they see that this is a genuine concern for the thousands of homeless in our community, and thankfully there are organizations like Oregon Harbor of Hope that are leading the efforts to help the unsheltered.
Doing good and making an impact in our community is a core value that we take seriously here at Daylight. And, when it came time to decide on a holiday campaign this year, our team felt it was the perfect opportunity to collect items for Oregon Harbor of Hope mobile vans.
After launching OHOH’s new website to meet the broad needs of the unsheltered in Portland, and learning about their Holiday GoFundMe campaign, we worked with BEAM management and our neighbors at the Water Avenue Commerce Center to collect towels, socks, and other hygiene products for their mobile van services.
Throughout December, we set up donation drop-offs located in the lobby and outside the elevators that collected donations from passersby. In all, the crew collected over five boxes and two bags worth of items to help stock each mobile van. Even better? There’s still time for you to make an impact. We encourage everyone to help them reach their goals by donating to the GoFundMe campaign or by sharing it with your friends and followers to increase awareness around this great cause.
