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'.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Two Books and Some Fish

There aren't many events where eating wodges of meat coincides with a book-signing—pristine pages dotted with blood and meat juice spring to mind—but Oregon writer Lynne Curry, author of the newly released cookbook "Pure Beef,"is going to do just that. Along with her friend and fellow author Cheryl Sternman Rule and the transcendent talents of chef Anthony Cafiero, she's putting on what's promised to be an omnivorous evening comprised of dishes from her book and "Ripe,"Rule's compendium of cooking with fresh, local fruits and vegetables. (You may know Rule from her award-winning blog, 5 Second Rule or the writing she's done for national publications.) In any case, this meal is going to be one you won't forget, whether or not you end up dripping on those pristine pages.

Details: Three-Course Dinner with authors Lynne Curry and Cheryl Sternman Rule and chef Anthony Cafiero. Thurs., Aug. 23, 6-9 pm; $75 in advance, tickets available online. Dinner to be held in ChefStable private dining room, 1223 SW Washington St. 541-263-0347.

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There are few things that go together better than cake and champagne, and both will be in abundance at the celebration of the release of Julie Richardson's new book, "Vintage Cakes."Co-founder with husband Matt of that palace of pastry pleasures, Baker & Spice in Multnomah Village, this to-be-classic contains timeless recipes for cupcakes, flips, rolls, layer, angel, bundt, chiffon and icebox cakes for today's sweet tooth. I'm a huge fan of her first book, "Rustic Fruit Desserts,"which vies with a couple of other fave cooking tomes on my shelf for the honor of most well-thumbed. As if you needed more than cake and champagne to draw you in, they'll also be offering 20% off the cover price of both books at the event.

Details: Champagne, Cake and Book Signing for Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. Thurs., Aug. 16, 6-8 pm; free. Sweetwares, 6306 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-546-3737.

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Not to change the subject too abruptly, but there's another event you won't want to miss, and that's the annual "truckload o' albacore sale" at Whole Foods. This year it's called the Dog Days of Summer Street Fair and is happening at the new Hollywood location on Saturday, Aug. 18. You'll have the opportunity to buy whole albacore fish as well as precut loins, plus they'll be offering grilled albacore and Hatch chiles as a benefit for Oregon's pet food bank, the Pongo Fund. To make the "street fair" descriptor complete, there will be artisans from Handmade NW, some favorite vendors, neighborhood pet services and live music, too. The price for the whole albacore will be an amazing $3.99 per pound, with precut loins selling for just $7.99 per pound, so get there early for the best selection!

Details: Dog Days of Summer Street Fair at Hollywood Whole Foods Market. Sat., Aug. 18; truckload sale starts at 9 am, street fair from 10 am-2 pm. Hollywood Whole Foods Market, 4301 Northeast Sandy Blvd. on 43rd Ave. between Sandy and Tillamook Sts. 503-284-2644.

Great Gifting: Giving from the Heart

My idea of the perfect gift has these attributes:

• It doesn't need dusting.
• It reminds you of the person who gave it to you.
• It makes you feel good every time you think of it.

Then add in:

• It makes someone else's life better.
• It benefits the community.
• It may just change the world.

If that sounds like a little bit much to expect from a single gift, consider what Heifer International has done for impoverished families all over the world through donations of farm animals. Or what MercyCorps does for children and families worldwide, not just with disaster relief, but with programs teaching women to read, building irrigation canals, providing safe cookstoves and helping pregnant women with health care and nutritional information.

If you'd rather go hyperlocal and do something right here at home that will benefit your neighbors, consider giving a donation in your giftee's name to any of the following groups.

• Farmers Ending Hunger began with Oregon farmers and ranchers who donating the food from an acre or two to feed the hungry. It resulted in thousands of tons of fresh food going to Oregon Food Bank for distribution throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Consider adopting an acre or even a single row!
• Zenger Farm is a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates the community about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. They also provide training for immigrant and refugee farmers in language and business skills as well as urban agriculture.
• Oregon Food Bank works in Oregon and Clark County, Washington, with partner agencies to distribute emergency food to hungry families. They also address the root cause of hunger through public policy advocacy, nutrition and garden education and helping communities strengthen local food systems.
• The Pongo Fund is Oregon's emergency pet food bank providing nutrition to the pets of the state's homeless and less fortunate men, women and children. It began when Larry Chusid saw two dogs, Jackson and Jewels, living with a homeless family under the Morrison Bridge and struck up a conversation with them. He brought food, treats, dog beds and coats…and that was more than one million meals ago.

If you have a favorite local charity that's making a difference in our community, feel free to leave it in the comments below. Happy holidays!

Read the other Great Gifting posts: The Art Around You, Eating is Believing and Keeping Spirits Bright.