News from the President

Hi neighbors! Just a short update from me on what we’re talking about at the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.

We had our monthly board meeting on Thursday, October 13th. This time we were much more successful hosting a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting, so we will continue to offer both options for our general and board meetings, allowing for as many neighbors to participate as possible. Much of the focus for the board was on this little newsletter that we always love to see on our front doorsteps every month! We heard, in detail, from our newsletter team about their process and how they put it together every month, from article submissions to getting it into your hands. We are looking for ways to improve and streamline the process to ensure its continued success.

Additionally, we had a presentation from our Land Use & Transportation Committee chair, Jamie Smith, about efforts by neighbors at 45th and Madison surrounding the tent camp behind the commercial building at 4511 SE Hawthorne. This camp has existed throughout the past several years, but tensions have increased recently. You may have seen the news reports (www.kptv.com/2022/09/15/multiple-cars-hit-by-man-throwing-rocks-his-bike-se-portland) regarding a possible resident of this camp throwing rocks at cars. Jamie reported that the building is currently being vacated and that the development company, Killian-Pacific, will be fencing off the property to the edge of the sidewalk on Madison to deter future encampments until they proceed with a project on the site. The camp was slated to be swept by Friday, October 14th.

Finally, I wanted to pass along notices about some grant opportunities. First, SE Uplift has opened applications for two grant programs: Community Small Grants and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Communication Grants. Applications are due by midnight November 22nd. Full details are available at www.seuplift.org/grants. Second, if you own a small business that has had broken windows or doors, graffiti, or other damage, you can apply for up to $10,000 in assistance from the city’s Local Small Business Repair Grants program. Details and the application can be found at www.prosperportland.us/portfolio-items/local-small-business-repair-reopening-grant.

We will be returning on November 10th at 7 PM for our next general meeting. We are still working on the agenda, but of interest is a new plan from PBOT to expand the greenway network in Sunnyside with additional North/South streets and traffic calming measures. If you have other topics you would like to discuss at this or other meetings, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Portland Mennonite Church Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Portland Mennonite Church at 35th and Main (1312 SE 35th Ave.) will hold a community Open House on Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 10:00am until noon as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. Mennonites are an historic Peace Church and PMC is committed to seeking the peace of the city.

More than two dozen quilts will be displayed that were handmade by volunteers from the congregation. Historical photographs from the early years—when the congregation was located on NW Savier Street in Northwest Portland—will also be on display. A centennial collage by local artist and church member Tim TK Klassen will also be displayed.

At 11 a.m. local stained glass artist David Schlicker will give a historical overview of the many stained-glass windows in the building, including some by the renowned Povey Brothers. The building was constructed in 1918 by the First Friends Church of Portland and includes one wing that was their original building that was moved directly across Main Street where it had previously been their main meeting house. In 1969, the building was sold to Portland Mennonite Church; First Friends built a new building near Reed College and became Reedwood Friends Church.

At 7 p.m. on the same evening there will be a centennial hymn sing featuring music from four different time periods. Please join us to learn more about the history of Sunnyside’s only Mennonite Church. For more info, go to www.portlandmennonite.org.

Critic’s Corner: Sunnyside Book Houses

A book house is like a tiny, free bookstore that you can take books from and give books to. You find book houses in front of some peoples’ houses. There are a lot of book houses in our neighborhood. We decided to make a map of all the book houses in Sunnyside by riding our bikes around. It was fun; we got to know our neighborhood better and found a lot of cool book houses. 

These were our favorites: 

• Best curation – 36th/Yamhill – A tall book house owned by a used-to- be-teacher

• Best decorated – A TIE between 32nd/ Main (collage and painted pictures on the outside and lots of picture books inside) and 44th/Main (landscape paintings on the sides + a rooster on top!)

• Personal favorite – 33rd/Washington– This is the book house on our street; it has lots of kids and picture books and is always full 

• Honorable mention – 34th/Salmon – This book house is planted in a pot! 

• Biggest – Main between 34th/35th – A huge book house with LOTS of books

 Two other great things we found:

• Wishing Tree (36th/Main)

• Street murals (42nd/Washington
and 33rd/Yamhill) 

Sunnyside students, please submit ideas or a review to [email protected].

Live near any of the blocks marked in black on the book house location map? We need your help! Contact [email protected] to volunteer for our delivery service.

Sunnyside Neighborhood Community Cares (SNACC) Committee Updates

You can support the Sunnyside Shower Project by donating your empty cans!

Since 2021, Sunnyside resident Molly Twohy has been collecting cans and donating the funds to various organizations. During the month of November, Molly is helping raise funds for the Sunnyside Shower Project by collecting cans on our behalf. The funds raised will greatly increase our ability to provide toiletry items, food, first aid supplies, clean clothing, laundry cards, tents, and tarps. It will also help us meet other needs of our neighbors living outside. If you’d like to contribute, please label your bags with “Sunnyside Shower Project” and drop them over Molly’s fence at 3333 SE Salmon St. (easily identified by the Rosie the Riveter flyer) any time this month. Don’t have enough cans to donate in November but still want to contribute to the Sunnyside Shower Project? You can always donate funds directly to the SNACC Committee to support the Shower Project on the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association’s website via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle, or email [email protected] to arrange a cash or check donation. If you anticipate that you will have cans to contribute after November, stay tuned for future canning efforts organized by the SNACC Committee.

Questions to Ask/Answer About Emergency Preparedness

Is there a season for emergency preparedness?
The simple answer: nope. 

Is there a reason for emergency preparedness?
The simple answer: yes.

Because we live in a most beautiful part of the world, with mountains, active and inactive volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, we balance the beauty and wonder of this place with the knowledge that we have to be prepared. Prepared, not scared. The more prepared we are as individuals, within our families, neighborhoods, and schools, the better off we are for daily life, and for whatever weather-related issue that comes our way. Doing nothing, with the hope that an earthquake can’t/won’t happen, is not a plan. 

Is there ‘one way’ to be prepared?
The simple answer: no, it depends.

So, review your family circumstances and get everyone involved with being prepared. Reach out to neighbors; maybe work on your eprep together. It’s great to know what plans your neighbors have in the event of a major climate disaster. Share and connect. Then, repeat as often as needed.

I attended a Zoom meeting recently where the presenter issued “Calls to Action.” Among these were:

• Map Community Assets
• Make Contact
• Share Your Expertise

Her parting words were: Earthquake preparedness is a community action.

These community actions are not just for those in the eprep community. So, start where you are and reach out via email ([email protected]) if you want support or have questions.