Work for the World from Home!
- FEATURED! Make Sack Lunches for Blanchet House
- Give Items for Meals on Wheels
- Create + Make
- Send a Note
- Donate
- Provide Financial Support
FEATURED! Make Sack Lunches for Blanchet House
Make Sack Lunches for Those Served by Blanchet House
Thanks for participating in our Sack Lunch Challenge!
We are PJA Proud to report that on Friday, May 22nd, 110 families donated over 2500 sack lunches for Blanchet House to distribute to the hungry in our community.
Want to help Portland's most vulnerable citizens in other ways? Pack a care kit containing basic essentials for someone who is homeless.
Click here for instructions.
Give Items for Meals on Wheels
Donate Requested Items to Meals on Wheels Seniors
Meals on Wheels delivers meals to seniors. In order to meet the needs of those most vulnerable to Covid-19, they have increased their production from 5,000 meals daily to nearly 8,000.
But, it turns out that the elderly population needs more than meals -- they are regularly requesting the following items: paper bags, toothbrushes, toothpaste, pet food, toilet paper, tissue, paper towels, dish soap, sponges, garbage bags, adult incontinence supplies, and coffee/tea. Simply drop off supplies at the central office just down the street from PJA during regular business hours:
7710 SW 31st Avenue; M-F 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. Bins are located outside the lower parking level doors. Items will be quarantined for at least 3 days then distributed to seniors in need.
Create + Make
Sew Much-Needed Cloth Masks
We have a great need of masks for our medical community right now. While cloth masks offer less protection against coronavirus than surgical or N95 masks, they do provide some protection and are better than nothing at all.
Providence Home Health is requesting several thousand cloth masks—as many as our community can provide—to be used by 500+ home health care clinicians (nurses, physical therapists, etc).
These masks will be used when patients do not have symptoms of Covid-19. Each provider will need several masks to use, one for each patient they visit. They will take all their masks home each night and wash them to use for the next day’s patient visits. By using these cloth masks, they will be able to save the medical grade mask supply for those who are being tested, show signs of illness or are being treated for Covid-19.
Details and Notices (Please Read)
1. If you or anyone in your household feels sick (shortness of breath, sore throat, cough) or has a fever, please do not make masks. Take care of yourself and get well!
2. Use tightly woven cotton fabric only (no flannel). Choose soft fabric that will be comfortable on the skin. When selecting fabrics, keep in mind that both men and women of varying ages will be wearing the masks. Please avoid offensive or derogatory prints. Plain fabric or prints (both conservative and more colorful designs) are acceptable. These masks do not need to be made with a slit to allow an insert. A simple 2 layer mask that fits over the nose and chin and attaches behind the ears or behind the head is all that is needed.
3. Before you cut out your fabric, it should be washed and dried with unscented detergent and with no fabric softeners. Iron before you cut.
4. When possible, use different prints or solids for the front and back of the mask to help the users track which side was against their faces.
5. Soft, comfortable, narrow (1/4") elastic to loop around the ears is the preferred option. If elastic is not available, fabric ties may be used. These can be made of cloth, twill tape, T-shirt strips, bias tape or grosgrain ribbon. Please do not use satin ribbon; it is too slippery.
6. See sewing patterns in the panel below.
7. If you need fabric, it will be available in totes at the two mask drop off locations while supplies last. Please don’t take more than you will sew in the next week.
Sewing Patterns
- *Elastic loops over ears/3 pleats.
(Preferred pattern, if possible)
*Please make sure loops are 7", otherwise they will be too tight.
-
Ties made with with bias tape/3 pleats:
*Please make sure that, if you are making a design with ties, that you have two ties, not just one. One-tie masks tend to fall off.
3. Ties made with stretch t-shirt cotton knit/3 pleats:
Drop-off Instructions
Put masks into a gallon size Ziploc bag with the following information printed clearly:
- Your name
- Your email address
- # of masks in the bag
Gallon size Ziplocs and a sharpie will be available in the tote at the drop off locations.
MASK DROP OFF LOCATIONS:
15378 SW 82nd Place, Tigard, OR 97224
10780 SW Hawthorne Lane, Portland, OR 97225 (near 217 and Hwy 26)
Create Blankets & Dog Toys
Make Items for Items for Project Linus & Oregon Dog Rescue
- Make fleece baby blankets for Project Linus by ordering new fleece from Joann.com. Here's some easy-to-follow instructions.
- Create fleece cat toys for the Oregon Humane Society. Toys can be dropped off to their outside donation bin, or brought to PJA once school resumes.
- Turn old t-shirts into dog toys for Oregon Dog Rescue.
Watch a tutorial below.
Send a Note
Reach Out, Send a Note!
To friends, family and neighbors (especially those who are older and might be feeling isolated) by calling, emailing or sending cards.
- NEW! Bring Cheer to Hospital Patients & Health Care Providers
- NEW! Send Cards to Meals on Wheels Recipients
- Brighten the Day for the Elders at Cedar Sinai Park
- Create “Care Cards” for Portland Backpack
NEW! Bring Cheer to Hospital Patients & Health Care Providers
Ask your child to make a piece of art or write a note to give to a hospital patient or healthcare worker. Patients cannot have visitors during this time of social distancing and our health care providers are under enormous stress. These small acts can really brighten up their days.
Please send items in the mail to PJA, 6651 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219 attn: Merrill Hendin. We encourage you to include your child's first name, age, and “PJA” on the picture or note. We will collect them and distribute them to hospitals.
NEW! Send Cards to Meals on Wheels Recipients
Send Seniors Love!
Spread hope and joy to older adults in our community by creating cards and artwork for Meals on Wheels to deliver with a meal. This is a great activity for children, families and people of all ages! Send your card or artwork to:
Meals on Wheels People
7710 SW 31st Avenue
Portland, OR 97219
Share videos and pictures of your family making their masterpieces! Post on Facebook or Instagram and tag us with #SendSeniorsLove #Mealsonwheels #mowp #feedingseniors
Brighten the Day for the Elders at Cedar Sinai Park
By emailing or snail-mailing stories, jokes, poems, or drawings that can be delivered to residents' rooms.
Items should be sent to:
Nancy Heckler, Campus Life Enrichment Director
6125 SW Boundary Street
Portland, OR 97221
nancy.heckler@cedarsinaipark.
Create “Care Cards” for Portland Backpack
Serving children at risk of hunger by providing food sacks for weekend days when food scarcity is higher. Cards should include encouraging messages and decorations; no need to sign them. Use unlined index cards or fold a piece of copy paper into fourths.
Finished cards should be mailed to:
Diane Rheos
Portland Backpack
2620 NE Fremont Street
Portland, OR 97212
Donate
Give to a Local Non-Profit
Look around your house for good quality items that you no longer need and donate them to some of our favorite non-profit partners.
Click on links below for lists of desired items
Please check with each organization individually to see if they are currently accepting in-person donations. Donations may also be brought to PJA when school resumes.
Provide Financial Support
Provide Financial Support
Jewish Federation of Greater Portland's COVID-19 Emergency Response Campaign
- Support our Jewish community's crisis fund to assist those impacted by COVID-19 by making a gift here.
Have other ideas for Working for the World from home? Contact PJA's Service Learning Coordinator: ecohn-rozansky@pjaproud.org