Livin' in the Blurbs: Holidays in the 'Hood

Like many people in Portland, I love my neighborhood and the small businesses that help it, and the city as a whole, thrive. My favorite shops and the people who work in them are always ready to hear the latest news or share some neighborhood gossip. The Beaumont Neighborhood Holiday Festival is scheduled this Friday, Dec. 5th, from 3-7 pm, to help ring in this important season for most small businesses. Photos with kids and Santa may take on a Hawaiian flavor at Noho's Hawaiian Café (e-mail to get on Santa's picture list), or if your pet is the star of your holiday cards, Santa Paws will be available for photos at Beaumont Hardware to benefit the Oregon Humane Society (reserve a spot by e-mail). There'll also be holiday crafts at Umpqua Bank, free soup at Alameda Cafe and two cocoa and snack booths on the street. Is your neighborhood hosting a holiday festival? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Details: Beaumont Neighborhood Holiday Festival on NE Fremont Street above 42nd Ave. Dec. 5, 3-7 pm. E-mail for reservations to get photos taken with Santa or Santa Paws.

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Speaking of my 'hood, one of my favorite shops in the neighborhood is Green Dog Pet Supply. Not only have Mike and Christine been big neighborhood boosters and hosts of innumerable events celebrating the people and pets of the area—the pet parade during Fremont Fest in August is a must-do—they also donate hundreds of pounds of pet food throughout the year to programs like Meals on Wheels for seniors to feed their pets and to tiny rescues in need of support. In December they do a big drive for The Pongo Fund, a Portland food bank for pets. Donations to the fund help to keep pets out of shelters and families together during hard times, and they do incredible work year-round. To donate, you simply buy a 33-lb. bag of the economical First Mate Classic Chicken dog food at Green Dog's wholesale cost of $30, and they'll donate another bag to match it. And try this on for size: You could even buy a bag in the name of a pet lover on your list and give them a card telling them they've just helped a homeless family feed their pet!

Details: Green Dog Pet Supply's Pet Food Drive benefitting the Pongo Fund. Dec. 1-31; if you can't get to the shop to buy a bag to donate, they can also be purchased by e-mailing the store. Green Dog Pet Supply, 4327 NE Fremont St. 503-528-1800.

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Since this edition of blurbage is all about my favorite places in the 'hood, let's throw in one more: Garden Fever, the exquisite garden store that I've loved since it opened, made my heart pitter-pat even faster when they declared themselves a neonicotinoid-free zone last year. They're kicking off a Holiday Shindig the weekend of December 13 and 14 with two workshops on Saturday—DIY wreaths, door hangings and chandeliers, then holiday moss balls, pot-o-greens and boutonnieres—followed by a booksigning on Sunday with Ted Mahar, husband of the late PDX garden goddess Dulcy Mahar, editor of a collection of her writings called "Through the Seasons with Dulcy." All weekend you can also get a Holiday Benefit Grab Bag in amounts of $5, $10 and $20 that will benefit Growing Gardens, a local organization that builds organic gardens in urban backyards and schools to, as they say, "get at the root of hunger" in our community. I'll buy that!

Details: Holiday Shindig at Garden Fever. Dec. 13-14; hours Sat., 9-7; Sun. 9-6. Reservations required for workshops. Garden Fever, 3433 NE 24th Ave. 503-287-3200.

Great Gifting: The Gift of a Better Community

Most of us are swimming or, more likely, drowning, in stuff. We don't need another gadget or doodad or gewgaw. But gift certificates seem so "Whatever." Like we couldn't think of anything else but had to put something under the tree, and surely they can find a gift at that giant online retailer that has everything from books to toys to tools to…well…you know which store I'm talking about.

Zenger Farm.

If you're stuck for a last-minute present and dread fighting the hordes that seem to find the Battle of the Last Minute a thrill, then might I suggest giving a gift that will warm the heart and do some good in the community (and/or the world). And that's giving a gift to an organization or effort in the name of your giftee.

Friends of Family Farmers.

There are plenty of national and international groups that are highly rated by Charity Watch, a nonprofit that gives charities a letter grade based on their practices and the percentage of donation dollars that go directly to programs (rather than executives' salaries). But if you want to do some good right here at home, below you'll find a few organizations that are working hard to make the Northwest a better place to live.

Zenger Farm. A working urban farm that models, promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. Working to build an Urban Grange, a hub for healthy food and community connection, right here in the city.

Friends of Family Farmers. A grassroots organization promoting sensible policies, programs and regulations that protect and expand the ability of Oregon’s family farmers to run a successful land-based enterprise while providing safe and nutritious food for all Oregonians through education, advocacy, and community organizing.

Farmers Market Fund. Providing low-income, elderly and under-served populations throughout the region increased access to fresh, locally grown food. Administers Fresh Exchange, a money matching program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, also known as food stamps.

The Portland Kitchen. Offers free, comprehensive culinary after-school and summer programming for Portland high school youth, age 14-18. Its mission is to empower urban youth to graduate high school with job skills and improved eating habits.

Organic Seed Alliance. Advances the ethical development and stewardship of the genetic resources of agricultural seed. Believes that seed is part of our common cultural heritage—a living, natural resource that demands careful management to meet food needs now and into the future.

The Pongo Fund. An emergency pet food distribution network, it provides quality pet food to people in need, keeping animals out of shelters and keeping pets healthy.

Others to consider are Growing Gardens, Grow Portland and Outgrowing Hunger (top photo). Feel free to add your favorites in the comments section below, and happy giving!

Read the other posts in this series: Gifts That Give Back, Mad Skills, Kids' Stuff, Bookin' It and Good Eatin'.

Great Gifting: Giving From the Heart

In the spirit of not burdening our lives or those of our loved ones with more stuff that needs dusting or displaying, yet also lets them know how much we care, I can't think of a better gift than a donation to a cause that would speak to the giftee.

For instance, if one of your friends reminds you just a bit of Dr. Dolittle, a gift to a local pet shelter or emergency pet clinic in their name would be just the ticket. As a personal note in this category, please consider giving to Multnomah County Animal Services, a terribly underfunded agency that handles the bulk of abandoned and injured pets in the city and is working to build a new shelter with public donations.

If your friend is giving CNN a run for its money with continuous e-mail updates on global affairs, consider a donation to Mercy Corps, the Heifer Project or any of dozens of domestic or international aid organizations.

For those concerned about hunger and food issues, there are a myriad of organizations that help the hungry in our communities, starting with the Oregon Food Bank and its network of 947 hunger-relief agencies in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Even the gardeners on your list can find fertile soil in groups like Growing Gardens (top photo) and Zenger Farm (right).

To that end, a list of ideas and links is below. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section below this post!

Animals

• Multnomah County Animal Services
• Oregon Humane Society
• Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital
• Cat Adoption Team
• Golden Bond Rescue of Golden Retrievers
• Pixie Project

Aid groups

• Mercy Corps
• Heifer Project
• Medical Teams International (formerly NW Medical Teams)
• Doctors Without Borders/Medicines Sans Frontieres

Hunger and Social Services

• Oregon Food Bank
• Friendly House
• Outside In
• Delta Society (provides pet therapy in hospitals and care centers)
• Farmworker Housing and Development Corp.

Gardens

• Growing Gardens
• Zenger Farm
• Adelante Mujeres 

Check out the other gift suggestions in the series: Book by Book, Classic Design, Not Dead Yet! (food magazines you'll love) and Class Acts.

Livin' in the Blurbs: It's All About Giving

There is nothing I love better than helping others by helping myself. And the folks at Zenger Farm are giving all of us a chance to feel really good with their Spring for Zenger benefit. And all it takes is doing what you do this time of year anyway, which is eating out and buying plants. I'm telling you, with participating restaurants like Nostrana, Ned Ludd, Biwa, Toast, Laughing Planet, Pine State Biscuits and Tastebud (at its PSU farmers' market stall), you can't lose! And there just aren't better garden stores than Pistils, Portland Nursery, Naomi's Organic Garden Supply and Concentrates. Each is donating a portion of the proceeds from their sales on a particular day to the education work that Zenger Farm does in the community, so check the website for days and times.

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Are you like everyone else I know and dreaming about fresh eggs collected from your very own chickens? Well, if you're still in the "thinking about it" stage, then put the 2010 Tour de Coops on your calendar and get ready to drool over some of the grooviest backyard chicken coops in the city. It's a benefit for the worthy programs at Growing Gardens, it's happening on Saturday, July 24, and it'll include a raffle of many delightful chicken-related prizes, one of which will be a chicken coop designed by The Garden Coop. And if you or someone you know would like to donate an item to the raffle, I'm sure they'd love to know!

Details: 2010 Tour de Coops, a self guided tour of 25 coops on Portland's east side. Sat., July 24, 11 am-3 pm; $10 for tour booklet, raffle tickets $5 ea or 3 for $10 (check website for purchasing details). Info phone 503-284-8420.

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Very few restaurants in the Portland area are more dedicated to fresh, seasonal ingredients than Toast's owner Donald Kotler. He not only grows a fair of the produce served in the café himself, but he has longstanding relationships with dozens of farmers in the area. And on Mondays in March from 8 am till 2 pm you can get that great food for 10% off the regular price, and he's crazy enough to allow that discount to be combined with other offers like the one found in the Chinook Book. And not only that, but on Friday, Mar. 19, Toast will be participating in the benefit for Zenger Farm (see above) by donating 25% of all sales made that day, more than any other participating restaurant. Like I said, dedicated!

Details: Toast, 5222 SE 52nd Ave. Open for breakfast and lunch Wed.-Mon., 8 am-2 pm; and dinner Wed.-Fri., 5:30-9 pm. Phone 503-774-1020.