Established in 1972, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is one of 94 volunteer-led neighborhood associations in Portland, Oregon. It serves an area bounded by SE Stark St and SE Hawthorne Blvd, from SE 28th Ave up to SE 49th Ave.

All residents within its boundaries are welcome to join (free of charge!) as well as non-resident property owners and representatives of businesses or organizations. Although officially managed by a volunteer board of directors, in reality its activities are initiated, led, staffed and supported by many more Sunnyside volunteers and supporters.

Read some of our most recent news below, further explore our website and newsletter archives, attend our next meeting and get involved!  If you still have questions after reading this material, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Latest News

News from the President

Hi neighbors! It’s that time of year where many of you have sent your kids back to school for another year of learning, enrichment and not bugging you during the day. Maybe some have sent their last child to college and are feeling a little of the ennui of a new empty nester.

We here at the SNA are having a bit of that feeling ourselves! In August, we said goodbye to one of our flagship projects, the Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) as they moved to become an independent nonprofit. Founded in 2021 by our vice president Hannah Wallace, the SSP has served our most in-need neighbors for the last 5+ years with hygiene services, clothing, supplies, and community. It started off small with just a few volunteers offering approximately 12 showers per week during two days at the former Sunnyside Methodist Church. We didn’t really know what we were doing back then, but with perseverance, support from like-minded groups, and a ton of heart we got off the ground in helping the community. Over the years, we’ve grown—offering an annual winter gear drive, coffee and snacks, laundry cards from Belmont Eco Laundry, and even free acupuncture.

At the end of 2024, the growth of the SSP really began to ramp up with the hire of Lindsay Cogan Sant as shower project’s first director. Under their compassionate and strong leadership, the SSP has more than doubled the number of guests and offers new amenities like free phone services provided by Futel and a “whimsy committee” dedicated to bringing moments of unexpected joy to a marginalized community. Lindsay has also done an incredible job with fundraising.

The SSP is an amazing example of the good that can be done when we talk to our neighbors, find out what they need, and have a willingness to meet them where they are. I’m so proud to have been an SSP volunteer since the beginning and I am especially proud to be part of an NA that seeks to look out for everyone in the neighborhood. The good news is that the SSP will not be going far! Lindsay is an SNA Board member and the leader of our Community Cares group. They are so full of ideas and enthusiasm to help people that I know we will have new projects, on our own and with the SSP, soon.

September is also the real kickoff for Portland’s election season. This year we will be voting on all three of our city council seats and one citizen initiative. SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.) will be hosting a candidate mixer on September 26th from 1–4 p.m. You can find details at seuplift.org/event/district-3-candidate-mixer-2026. Rather than focus on the wide-ranging group of candidates for council, at our September meeting the SNA will focus on the initiative, “Community Budgeting for All.” If passed, this would require 2% of the city’s annual budget, approximately $17 million, be set aside for citizen-proposed projects. Projects would be vetted by a group within city government and then finalists would be voted on by all of us in a TBD process. Versions of this “participatory budgeting” are in use in cities across the country. Come out to our September 9th meeting to learn about how this proposal would work in Portland. What are the benefits? What are the costs? Get your questions answered!

That’s it for now. We’ll see you at the next meeting, at the Belmont Street Fair, and maybe browsing for new-to-you treasures at the Sunnyside Yard Sale!

The Sunnyside Yard Sale!

A reminder that we’ll be doing our first neighborhood-wide yard sale later this month, on Saturday, September 26th from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. If you haven’t registered yet, visit sunnysideportland.org/yardsale and make a tax-deductible donation of $25. (This will cover inclusion on both the digital and printed maps.) There is no deadline for being part of the digital map, as that map will be continuously updated until the morning of the 26th. The deadline for the printed maps, which we’ll distribute at local businesses and handed out at participating houses in the neighborhood, is September 20th. We will also be advertising the event in Ever Out, the Southeast Examiner, and of course on our social media. We invite all Sunnyside residents to declutter your house, basement, and/or garage. Everything is fair game: books, clothes, old trampolines, bikes, toys, garden equipment, plant cuttings, and even furniture. Create an area in front of your driveway, front yard, or porch and go to town!  If you’re a renter try to team up with a neighbor who has a front yard or driveway you can share.

Sunnyside Tails: Fezzik

Sunnyside Tails is a new column introducing you to some of the best cats and dogs of the neighborhood.

Perhaps you remember Lenny? He was the Bernese mountain dog who was such a regular at Bare Bones Bar that he was known as “the Mayor of Belmont” until his death a few years ago. Now, Lenny has a potential successor: Fezzik, a one-year-old Bernese mountain dog.

Fezzik’s people are Deane Funk and Marion Hayes, who live on Southeast 29th Avenue next to Bare Bones. Fezzik is their second Bernese mountain dog after Lenny, who they inherited from Marion’s mother in Virginia. (Lenny was her mother’s third Bernese mountain dog.) “They’re a pretty great breed,” Hayes said. 

Fezzik was named after the character in The Princess Bride, the 1987 film featuring the late actor André the Giant. Like the character, Fezzik is a gentle giant, Hayes said. He weighed 15.5 pounds when he joined the family as a puppy. Now, he’s just over 100 lbs, a big, lovable bear of a boy with a sweet disposition and cuddly energy.

You can often find Fezzik sauntering through Sunnyside to romp with his dog and human friends at Sewallcrest Park or Hosford Middle School. He enjoys going to the river, too. But Fezzik’s favorite perch might be the front porch, where he loves watching people and other dogs. “You have to pay the Fezzik tax if you walk by,” Deane said. 

Fezzik is deputy mayor of Belmont for now, Deane said, but he and Marion suspect that one day, he’ll wander over to Bare Bones on his own to preside over the street, just like Lenny did.   

If you’d like to nominate a neighborhood pet for a future Sunnyside Tail feature, email [email protected]

Help SSP Raise Money via the Give! Guide

Big news: This fall, the Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) is one of Willamette Week’s Give!Guide nonprofits. As Chris mentioned above, the SSP is now an Oregon nonprofit (though still fiscally-sponsored by Southeast Uplift). Aside from having to pay our own insurance, this change means we will have our own Board and bylaws and be more visible as our own entity. The Give! Guide is a chance to raise awareness about the services we offer our houseless neighbors–hot showers, clean clothes, laundry cards, and more. Sadly, these services, which give dignity to those who are unsheltered, are still desperately needed in Portland. 

Starting in November, there will be many opportunities to give to the SSP, with over a dozen incentives and prizes awaiting you! In addition to entering you into Willamette Week’s own raffles—for big prizes such as an electric bike, a $500 gift card, or a staycation—giving even just $25 could win you fun incentives from neighborhood partners. If you are a Sunnyside business and would like to partner with us, reach out to us at [email protected]. For news about the Give!Guide’s “Big Give Day” promotions when you donate to SSP, join SSP’s email list by going to sunnysideshowerproject.org and clicking the Subscribe button. Thank you for helping to promote this opportunity—and for supporting us, as always.

News From Sunnyside Environmental School

School is back in session

The 2026/27 school year has started and activities at SES are in full swing. Kindergarteners started their first day of school, Middle Schoolers will be taking their yearly trip to different fountains around the city to build community and set the stage for the year, and all students will be harvesting from the garden and cooking using those fresh ingredients.

Safety

School was back in session as of August 26, so please remember to drive slowly around the school. Many students will be walking and the Bike Bus will be back in action. Note: At press time, PBOT was working on making Salmon and 35th a 4-way stop. Make sure to stop in all directions when crossing this intersection.

September 4th, Community Social 3:15-4 on the Playground

Join SES for the Community Social this year. This is a great opportunity to learn more about upcoming events at the school, after school programs, meet other people from the neighborhood, learn about volunteer opportunities and how to stay connected with the school. There will be lots of treats!

Continued: What do SES staff do when they aren’t teaching?

Eryn Berg, SES Principal, is a poet. Every email she sends out to the SES community ends in a poem. Often she will use her poetry to share her feelings and views about what is happening around us. Her poems wrap the community into a hug and often describe what we are all feeling. This summer she was invited to join a writing retreat called GoodWorld Journeys. This retreat is invitation-only and provides participants with the opportunity to share and develop their writing craft with the support of literary guides and seasoned authors. The power of storytelling is one that transfixes and guides us all. The inspiration that Eryn receives at the retreat will inevitably be transferred to SES staff, students and families.

Rebecca Hawk, SES MS Teacher (Year of the Mountain), and Carrie McCoy MS Teacher (Year of the Ocean) participated in the ARETS (Authentic Research Experience for Teachers) at the HJ Andrews research forest. ARETS places public school teachers with researchers at three different Long Term Ecological Research Sites (LTER). The program places teachers in the Arctic to study the tundra, Santa Barbara to study the ocean, and at the HJ Andrews Forest in Oregon to study the forest. They studied environmental changes at different burn sites and aquatic insects among other things. That opportunity gave way to a once in a lifetime opportunity. Last year Rebecca organized an overnight trip with her class to visit the HJ Andrews research forest to study the burn sites. Carrie McCoy is a wildlife photographer and can be found photographing orcas and other marine life when she is not at SES. Her classes head to the coast each year for beach clean-ups, and go downtown to speak to lawmakers to advocate for laws that protect orcas and other sea animals.

SES curriculum is focused on place-based learning and SES teachers live that concept making their teaching inspiring for their students and helping them understand the possibilities available to anyone who wants to get out in the world and make a difference.

Have questions about SES? Email [email protected] and maybe I’ll answer them in a future column!