Estimates show more than 5,000 unhoused people are living outside in Portland.

shows bar graph of increase in homelessness in PDX from around 4 to 5,000

How do we change that?

Some efforts focus upstream on greater access to job training, recovery programs, mental health, and financial services. These efforts are essential.

However, right now, people are hungry and cold.

Would you consider supporting a program that cares for vulnerable people in the present and increases the likelihood of securing long-term stability for all our citizens?

Here's our theory of change:

The Beacon Village Lunch Program creates trust and community with unhoused people by offering food and respect via daily lunches delivered where they are most needed. This trust accelerates the likelihood of moving recipients into transitional housing at places like Beacon Village. Once in a transitional community, people can get the support they need to get jobs and places to live.

This lunch program is the latest iteration of the work of Pat Schwiebert and her team. Pat has been the brains, brawn, and chef de cuisine behind the Hard Times Supper at the Sunnyside Methodist Church for nearly forty years. Pat is a founding member of Metanoia Peace Community; a Christian Church focused on the contemplative acts of community, hospitality, and peacemaking. Thanks to Pat's vision, Beacon Village and the Peace Community now support many needy communities. She and her team prepare and serve the lunches with deep regard for everyone.

The bottom has fallen out of the funding sources previously used by this meal program. The Oregon Food bank has eliminated the "dock and shop" program, and the City of Portland reduced resources previously used by Beacon Village. Food donations from food retail are harder to come by as the needs in the city have increased.

We need help to fund the lunch program.

Operating five days a week, the lunch program provides over 3,000 hot meals annually, offers an additional 6,250 cold lunches each year, and, most importantly, creates a community that breeds trust and positive change in the city of Portland. Whatever you can contribute is tax deductible will be put into direct use.

Beacon Village Lunch Program

By Beacon Village

Beacon Village Lunch Program

Creating Community Through LUNCH!

Team Members