Tualatin is a beautiful community, only made more beautiful by the people and businesses in it. The uncomfortable truth is that 22% of Tualatin’s family earn less than a livable wage (roughly 1 in 3 residents including children). Sometimes statistics like this can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be that way. One person can make a difference, but thankfully you don’t have to do it alone. There are a wide variety of ways to give back to our community. Whether you prefer to contribute financially, through food, household items, or you prefer to volunteer, we have opportunities for you!

Here are some opportunities for you to give back to your community this holiday season:

Seasonal Business Drives:

• Columbia Bank will be hosting their Warm Hearts Winter Drive to benefit 58 homeless shelters that aid thousands of struggling families. All 150 branches are actively engaged in securing cash donations and new warm clothing.
• Debbie Borges – Berkshire Hathaway is working with American Cancer Society Relay for Life and looking for sponsors and donors. There are several levels of sponsorship ranging from $250-$5000. By becoming a Relay for Life sponsor, you help reduce the burden of cancer in our community. There’s no doubt about it: we’ve come a long way in our mission to save lives from cancer. Still, there is so much more that can be done to protect this and future generations from cancer. Through your sponsorship, you could help fund the next big cancer research breakthrough, provide information and support for people facing the disease, and help educate your community about cancer’s causes and ways to prevent it. If you are interested, please contact Debbie Borges at (503) 381-4198 or at debbie@debbieborges.com
• HomeStreet Bank in Lake Oswego will be having a holiday “Giving Tree” for The Children’s Center of Clackamas County. Those interested in participating, please visit 310 N State St, Suite #218 in Lake Oswego to pick up a tag.
• Integrity Staffing will be holding their Sweatshirt Drive benefitting the homeless shelter at Calvin Presbyterian Church. Over 1700 articles of clothing were raised in 2016. They will be scheduling sweatshirt pickups at your office December 11^th – 14^th. If you’re a business and interested in collecting sweatshirts, please email sweatshirts@integritystaffingusa.com
• Legacy Health will be holding their Charity Sock Drive. Last year over 37,000 pairs of socks were donated. Please bring sock donations to 19875 SW 65^th Ave #100 until December 8^th.
• Leviton Manufacturing will be working with the Weathered Hands organization to help collect donations, assemble, and distribute care packages including items such as socks, gloves, hats, and hygiene products for homeless individuals. Donated items can be dropped off at 10385 SW Avery Street, Tualatin by December 21^st. For more information, please see http://www.weatheredhands.org
• Marquis Tualatin Campus will be holding a Toy Drive benefitting the Ronald McDonald House. There will be a collection site at their reception desk accepting new toys, blankets, and clothing items. If you would like to contribute, you may do so at 19945 SW Boones Ferry Rd.
• Pilot Property Management LLC will be participating in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. If interested, stop by at 19354 SW Mohave Ct to pick up an Angel Tree tag for a child in need of new clothing and gifts this holiday season that you would like to help provide for. For more information, please email info@pilotproperties.com
• Thermal Modification Technologies, Inc. will be a location collecting for Integrity Staffing’s Sweatshirt Drive. If you would like to drop off sweaters, you may do so at 19830 SW Teton Ave.
• Tualatin Kiwanis Club is a Community Partner with the Tualatin School House Food Pantry. The Pantry serves over 600 families each month with emergency food supplies. The Tualatin Chamber of Commerce’s office has a collection barrel at 8101 SW Nyberg St, Suite #102.

Year-Round Organizations:

• Breast Friends ensures that no woman goes through cancer alone. They are a unique resource for women, their family, friends, co-workers and the community to minimize the fear and isolation of cancer. For over a decade their programs have empowered thousands with emotional support and hope. They are survivors and professionals helping others celebrate the joy of life. To learn more, please see https://www.breastfriends.org/
• Community Action leads the way to eliminate conditions of poverty and create opportunities for people and communities to thrive. They have a wide variety of ways to help lower-income families in Washington County. These include housing and homeless services, energy assistance, financial education classes, emergency rent services, childcare connections, and much more. To learn how you can contribute, please see http://caowash.org/ 
• Community Warehouse‘s mission is to help every house become a home. They connect donated household goods and furnishings to neighbors in need, creating stronger home foundations and brighter futures. To learn more, please see https://www.communitywarehouse.org/
• Foundation for Tualatin/Tigard Schools raises money to Boost Student Success at all 15 schools in the Tigard Tualatin School District. Foundation dollars pay for part-time licensed teachers and instructional assistants; reading, math and science programs; technology, arts and supplies that make a difference for kids.They grant money to teachers to pay for innovative programs, hold SEED (seeking educational equity and diversity) academic enrichment classes for all students, and grant scholarships to our best and brightest as they take off for college.
• Friends of the Tualatin Public Library is a member-supported nonprofit organization that advocates, fundraises, and provides support for the Tualatin Library. The organization was formed in 2004 by a small group of dedicated library volunteers. The Friends have donated more than $100,000 to the library to assist with the purchase of materials and to support programs that would otherwise be out of reach with the normal library budget. The library is a vital resource for many of students, and lower-income families. If you are interested in getting involved, please see http://friendsoftualatinlibrary.org/
• Meals on Wheels are nutritious lunches that are delivered to senior’s homes who live in Multnomah, Washington, or Clark County. All meals are provided on a donation basis. The cost of each meal is $7.39. If you would like to either donate or volunteer, please see https://www.mealsonwheelspeople.org/ 
• Neighbors Nourishing Communities encourages residents to begin gardening and donate a portion of their produce. NNC supports home gardeners with all of the seeds and plants for their gardens in exchange for 20% of their produce, which is donated to area food pantries, senior centers, and individual families in need. With housing and transportation costs consuming more of hardworking family budgets, less money is available for food. And nutritious food can be expensive. Many of our community members rely on support from area food pantries, which supply one week of emergency food each month. The ability for people to grow their own organic produce provides more than nourishment – it promotes sustainability and self-satisfaction while forging relationships across all socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Gardening as a charitable group supports our mission of reducing hunger and strengthening our community. To learn more, please see http://www.neighborsnc.org/index.php/en/
• Tualatin School House Pantry‘s mission is to “provide emergency food to qualified households in a welcoming environment. As a part of the Oregon Food Bank, they also share in their mission to eliminate hunger.” They operate with a volunteer staff that is dedicated to serving others. Currently the pantry needs canned fruit, canned soup, canned meals (chili, pasta, etc), boxed mac and cheese, powdered laundry detergent, and they can always use extra paper grocery bags. For more information, please see http://www.schoolhousepantry.org/
• Tualatin Together “sells” a healthy community. In their last three years of interventions with mostly our high school but now middle school students and families, the 30 day alcohol usage rate as dropped from 36% of 11th graders to 25%.   Marijuana 30 day usage rates have dropped from 26% to 19% as reported in the 2017 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey taken in Spring of 2017. With every year of success, a new standard is being set by the Tualatin High School seniors, students get better grades, there are more safe drivers on our roads, and much more. If you are interested in investing or learning more, please see www.tualatintogether.com

With every challenge and struggle, we discover both the hard parts of life, but also the beauty of humanity. This beauty starts right in our community, and we couldn’t be prouder of what our members are doing in our community, and the variety of opportunities they provide.

Note: This page will be continually updated with new opportunities as we learn of more businesses improving our community. (Last updated on 11/28/17)