Author: Hannah Wallace

Community Cares (SNACC) Committee Updates

The SNACC committee met on Thursday, Sept. 16th after a long hiatus. Jes Maran is stepping down as chair. Board member Emily McCadden offered to co-chair (for the time being with Jes) until someone else volunteers to co-chair with her.

We gave brief updates on the shower project, which has recently been blessed by a lot of donations of both funds and toiletries, and we discussed the possibility of a vaccine mandate for those who come for showers. 20+ shower volunteers participated in a super awesome de-escalation training in September, led by Zack Hart from Hygiene4All. Hannah helped organize a vaccine event on September 30th for the houseless at the Sunnyside Methodist Church. We also discussed rolling out the “Get on the Sunnyside” campaign that a group of U of O grad students helped prepare for us
last year as part of a class project. This would entail some work on the website, but the posters are already made. The focus of the campaign is to acknowledge the need for a neighborhood that is healthy, safe and welcoming for all who call it home. We encourage anyone who is interested in these efforts to attend our next SNACC meeting on Thursday, Oct. 21st at 6:30 p.m. Meeting details will be posted on the SNA website the week of October 18th.

Shower Project Reaches 60+ People

Awesome shower volunteer Marisa Espinoza, who works at the Northwest Pilot Project, crunched the numbers for us. Since January, when we launched the shower program at the Groves, we have served 63 houseless individuals. Some shower weekly, some come less often, but all of them thank us repeatedly for offering them this opportunity to get and stay clean. I often get texts like this from our houseless neighbors: “Thank you a ton for everything, Hannah. It really means a lot what you do.” 

Thanks to the Groves for continuing to allow us to use their facilities for this program. I’m also so grateful to all 23 of our amazing volunteers—most from Sunnyside but some come from nearby neighborhoods to help out. We could still use two additional volunteers for an every-other-week shift this fall. If you’re interested, please reach out to me at [email protected]. Shower days are in the afternoons on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Cat Tales: Ham, the Klepto Cat

“Have you seen my running shoe?” my neighbor Dana Buhl asked me recently. I hadn’t seen it but my husband and I had noticed some curious items turning up in our yard—some red camellia flowers (we don’t have a camellia bush) and a red ball of yarn. Two weeks later, Dana’s 15-year-old daughter spotted one of their dog’s chew toys in the back of our mutual neighbor’s backyard. Charles Aguilar and his fiancé Brittany Peralta, who moved into that house six months ago, have four beautiful and playful cats. So I texted Charles asking if they might be missing some yarn. He said “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my ‘lil white cat got it from somewhere and brought it to your yard. He brought us a crow, a mouse, and a random shoe recently.” Then he texted a photo of Ham, the cute white cat that I’d noticed prowling through our backyard.

Dana was amused to learn that the culprit was a feline (though sadly, she was not reunited with her shoe because, not knowing whose it was, they’d tossed it). I started stashing my running shoes inside. But, unwisely, I left my Crocs out. A few weeks later, I couldn’t find either of them. I searched our house, to no avail. Finally, desperate, I texted Charles. “I’m missing my Crocs. Has Ham brought you any?” He shot back, “Yes, we have a black Croc!” A few days later, I spotted the other in their backyard. I jokingly said he should post something on Nextdoor about his klepto cat. “I’m thinking about it. I have a pair of Nikes here now. Black with a grey swoosh,” Charles typed.  

Charles says Ham’s stealing habit began when he was an indoor cat—with their daughter’s Barbies and sandals. He’d find them hidden in weird places around the house. “I’d do laundry and there’d be a Barbie in the laundry basket,” he says. Ham, who is just one year old, has one blue eye and one yellow, giving him a rock-star air. “He’s got a lot of personality, for sure,” Charles says. But Sunnysiders—especially if you live in the westernmost quadrant of the neighborhood—keep your shoes inside!   

This is a new regularly-occurring column in the Sunnyside Newsletter. To submit stories about your or a neighbor’s cat, email Hannah at [email protected]   Cats must live in Sunnyside. 

SNA Community Care (SNACC) Committee Update

Volunteers Needed

Come join a fantastic group of Sunnyside volunteers at the Shower Project at the Sunnyside Methodist Church! Because two of our regular volunteers are moving—one to Taiwan and one to Montavilla—we could use a volunteer every other Thursday (from 1-3 p.m.) and every other Saturday (either shift). Shifts are two hours long and mostly involve chatting with your fellow volunteers as you wait for folks to finish their showers. It’s a great way to get to know your houseless neighbors! Please contact Hannah Wallace at [email protected] if you are interested. Thanks!