Newsletter Dec. 2024 Archives - Sunnyside Neighborhood Association

News from the President

Happy Holidays Sunnyside! I know that we are always so busy this time of year, buying gifts for loved ones, attending festive parties with friends and family, and generally feeling the spirit of the season. I’m so happy that you are taking a little bit of your time to spend with the SNA either in person at our meetings or just keeping up with the neighborhood news right here. I’ve said it before, but I feel lucky and am so thankful to be a member of this community.

Onto the news…

In November we were joined by our newly re-elected state representative, Rob Nosse, for a freewheeling conversation on the 2025 legislative session. Rob hopes to spend much of the coming session working on one of his priority issues – strengthening the arts community in Oregon. As the health committee chair, though, I’m sure his plate will also be filled with many of the weighty topics on so many minds in Oregon – mental health care, the homelessness crisis and trying to insulate the state from potential conflicts with the newly-elected President and Congress. On health care, Rob is determined to find more money to continue the much needed expansion of mental health services in this state, where we rank 48th in the country in the availability of care. He hopes to find excellent working relationships with our new city and county leaders to move the region forward, together with a common vision for continued recovery. On transportation, Rob is not deeply involved in the discussion of the renewal of our transportation funding system yet, but he hopes that new mechanisms can provide the funds needed to modernize our transportation system and provide climate resiliency to our network. It was a really wonderful conversation and I hope you can all join us the next time Rob comes to an SNA meeting, hopefully in the spring in the midst of the session.

There are plenty of holiday activities around Sunnyside and I want to highlight a few here:

Sunnyside Environmental School will be holding its Winter Craft Fair on December 13th. For more details see Valerie Kahn’s News From SES on page 3.

The annual Peacock Lane Christmas Street celebration will be December 15th-31st. Pedestrian-only nights are the 15th and 16th. Parking is very limited in the area, so I suggest putting on warm, dry clothes and either walking over or taking the #15 or #75 bus.

The Sunnyside Shower Project’s annual Winter Clothing Drive will be held on Sunday, December 8th from 1-5 p.m. The Drive helps our less fortunate neighbors stay dry and warm through the dreary winter months. Please drop off adult-sized winter clothing and other cold-and-wet-weather gear to the Sunnyside Community Center at 3520 SE Yamhill St. on the morning of December 8th. Volunteers will be on hand from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the basement of the Center to collect clothes. (Drop-off at the basement entrance on 35th St.)

Finally, if you are planning any end of year donations, please don’t forget your local neighborhood association! Your donation to the SNA is fully tax-deductible and helps us do all the projects that I have talked about in this space, including the Shower Project, upcoming work around the Sunnyside Piazza, the bike garden we hope to install at 4511 SE Hawthorne, not to mention printing this newsletter every month! You can make your donation by clicking this LINK.

Happy holidays from the SNA Board to all of your families and we will see
you in 2025!

Getting to Know Your Neighbors

Q&A with Nate Lown of Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies

Nate Lown, 35, opened Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies on Belmont last June. Lown grew up in Southern California and moved to Portland in 2012 to attend Portland State University to study music. He fell in love with Sunnyside when he was a bartender at the Liquor Store. Though he lives in the Rocky Butte neighborhood, he thinks Sunnyside is a perfect spot for his business. “I love ingredients and I love ingredients with integrity,” says Lown, who uses all organic ingredients, Fair Trade chocolate, and makes his own vegan butter for his cookie dough. “Because, to me, that’s worth it. You know? I’m selling a $4 cookie but you’re getting quality.” We chatted about why oatmeal cookies get short shrift, the perks of a niche business, and why Belmont is a great spot for a cookie shop.

Why did you choose Sunnyside?

Nate: I’ve always loved this neighborhood. I used to bartend across the street, so I was always here. I was looking around for retail space, and I know Ashley from Mix Tape. She was like, “You know, the spot next to me is vacant. You should check it out.” It wasn’t even on the market.

Did you have to do much to fix it up?

Nate: We built a little “pony wall” [between the production kitchen and the public-facing area], we redid the floors and put on a coat of paint. That was pretty much it. These [gestures to the cookie case] are all on wheels. I wanted it to be really modular.You know how it is nowadays – people love having pop-ups. So when I was designing this place, I wanted it to be collaborative and flexible.

Why did you decide to focus on oatmeal cookies?

Nate: When the pandemic hit, I was bartending at two places. Let’s just say the pandemic changed the course of my work in the service industry. I’ve always loved food, being in the kitchen and coming up with new ideas—innovating. It started with my mom’s recipe for the raisin pecan oatmeal cookies. I said, “Mom, send me that recipe so I can make them” in early COVID days. So she sent me the recipe and a box with all the ingredients. I started making them and then I started selling them to friends and family on Instagram.

But a lot of people don’t like raisins. So I made a chocolate chip version. And then once I did chocolate chip, I did a peanut butter one. And then I did a cherry almond one. I got this idea of, “I love oatmeal cookies and they’re really good—in all sorts of flavors.” And you know, the more I peeked around online, I realized no one was doing a bunch of different flavors of oatmeal cookies. Nobody does that! The oatmeal cookie always gets shoved to the side. But people love ‘em.

After that, I got into the Beaverton Farmers Market. I did Hillsdale as well. Then I thought, “Let’s do brick and mortar!” I just needed to find the right place. This place is a great deal. And this building was built in 1890. It was the first Post Office of Sunnyside. [This space and the space that Mix Tape was in were the Post Office.]

Are all your cookies gluten-free?

Nate: Half of my cookies are gluten-free and half aren’t. I say, “We have gluten-free options, let me know if you want to know what they are.” [For the record, they are: Trailblazer, Triple chocolate and Snickerdoodle.] I don’t like too much signage that says gluten-free and vegan. It turns people away. They are moister than most gluten free cookies—not dry and sandy. I’ve worked really hard on my recipes to give the gluten-free ones a really good texture. People have been blown away with the results.

Oatmeal cookies are such a niche. Do you think your business will thrive?

Nate: We have tea and coffee, too, because people were asking for it. But staying focused is important to me. And, it means that there’s less food waste. I have almost no food waste, which is great.

Because you can estimate how many cookies you’ll sell?

Nate: That and we’re on Too Good to Go—that’s an app where anytime I have cookies at the end of the day I can post that. All these people who have the app can get them at 1/3 of the price. They can spend $5 and get $15 of food. And then I make granookie! That is, I make granola with the day-old cookies. So you can put it on your yogurt and have it for breakfast? Yep. I sell that in the store.

How many types of cookies do you have?

Nate: I have six kinds. I sell a new sample box of 12, so you get two of each. My goal with the niche business is that people really think of Nate’s Oatmeal cookies as something they can get for their party, their event, their wedding, etc. If you want to get something that’s a little bit healthier, a little bit better for you, you can get Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies. We use all organic ingredients, no animal products, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. We put a lot of the good stuff in there—nuts, fruits, chocolate. And instead of getting a box of donuts, something where everyone will have a stomach ache afterwards, I wanna be the place where people are like, “We should get something healthier this time.”

What’s the Trailblazer cookie?

Nate: It’s hazelnuts, almonds, dark chocolate, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and — it’s like a handful of trail mix.

And triple chocolate?

Nate: We use three different type of chocolate chips – 70%, semi-sweet chocolate, and “milk chocolate” that’s made with rice milk.

You are dairy free?

Nate: Yeah. We make our own vegan butter from scratch. I use organic coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, sunflower lecithin, green pea milk. It’s made from peas—it has more protein. We go to all this trouble because the vegan butters out there use hydrogenated palm oil and canola oil, both of which are highly processed.

What do you like about Sunnyside?

Nate: I like the community. I like that there are always families walking around because you have the school right there. It’s just such a great little neighborhood!

What do you think could use improvement in Sunnyside?

Nate: I like it. It’s got its charm, you know? Nothing is meant to be perfect. If Sunnyside were an oatmeal cookie, it would be homemade. You know? Maybe it would have a cherry spilling out of the side or some chocolate. Maybe it wouldn’t be a perfect circle. But it’s perfect with its imperfections.

Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies, 3308 SE Belmont St., is open Thurs.-Monday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Stop by and grab a cookie and welcome Nate to the neighborhood!

News From Sunnyside Environmental School (SES)

Hello neighbors!

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend Portland Drama Club’s production of Alice in Wonderland, starring our middle school students. We hope you enjoyed the show.

Support SES by Dining Out at Screen Door on Burnside on December 3rd

Screen Door’s Burnside location (2337 E Burnside St.) has kindly agreed to donate a portion of its December 3rd sales to SES. Screen Door is a Southern restaurant open from 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. seven days a week. Come enjoy some great fried chicken, BBQ ribs, and fried green tomatoes while supporting a local school.

Winter Craft Fair

Please join us on December 13 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Sunnyside Environmental School for our third annual Winter Craft Fair! This fair features handmade goods for sale from both SES students and adults. Last year we had nearly 70 crafters, and we are anticipating a similar number this year. Past wares have included handmade jewelry, terrariums, ceramics, toys, candles, fiber arts, and silkscreening! Admission is free. Baked goods, hot chocolate, and pizza will be available for sale. Face painting will also be offered for a small fee. We have been blown away by the talent of those in our community at our previous Craft Fairs. Come support experienced and upcoming local artisans and maybe find some nice gifts for your loved ones.

Donations Needed

We have a few requests from our garden team. We need glass mosaic pieces for stepping stones that we are creating, and we are also looking for cuttings from Monstera plants and banana plants. If you can help, please reach out to [email protected]. Thank you in advance!

SES’s Circle of Giving

Every winter, families in need within our school community can anonymously seek assistance with groceries or gifts, and families who are able are encouraged to provide the requested support. This year we are providing the families requesting aid with gift cards to a variety of grocery stores and to Amazon, as this enables them to directly purchase what they need. We are also collecting cash donations, which will be put toward these families’ Portland General Electric accounts. If you would be willing to help families with children attending SES this winter, please contact [email protected].

PTA Clothing Center

This winter, SES is sending parent volunteers to help students in need receive clothes at the PTA Clothing Center. The Clothing Center was established in 1964 with the sole purpose of furnishing age-appropriate clothing to Portland Public School (PPS) children. By caring for the basic needs of our youth, the Clothing Center encourages positive self-esteem, academic success and regular class attendance. Children must be referred to the Clothing Center by their schools—if you have a child in PPS and could use help providing them with clothing, please reach out to your principal, school secretary, or school counselor, and they can connect you. I have volunteered at the Clothing Center in the past and they have large quantities of everything from winter coats to bathing suits, as well as everyday items like jeans, t-shirts, dresses, and sweaters. The Clothing Center also accepts donations of gently used clothing for students in sizes 4T through 4X. If you would be interested in donating to the Center, please contact Sharon Meigh-Chang at 503.293.0783 or [email protected].