As winter weather made its way to Tigard last week, Bridge to Home experienced a significant ice event! Our building sits on a small hill, which makes vehicle access very difficult in inclement weather. Several cars slid down the hill and rested at the bottom for two days until they could safely navigate out. Our shelter guests were mostly able to stay in place which helped to keep everyone safe. Luckily, we did not lose electricity. Several of our incredibly dedicated program staff even ended up spending nights in our building to ensure we had adequate support for everyone on-site. We opened up additional fun activities to help keep the kiddos busy since school was canceled. One of our Board members braved the icy conditions and brought lunch in for the team which was greatly appreciated. Kudos to the entire FPTV team and our community for supporting the shelter during a difficult time!

We’re thrilled to announce several key additions to the FPTV team this month who bring a wealth of experience in housing case management, shelter operations, and local social service programs! The diverse experiences of FPTV staff enable us to provide services that are relevant to each participant’s cultural background and history. Often, marginalized groups in our community do not have access to support that adequately addresses their specific needs. In our program, and our partnerships with culturally-specific organizations, FPTV is working to change that status quo.

For example, Community Chef, Eric, makes culturally specific foods available in our shelter kitchen. The housing case management team encourages program participants to take the lead when searching for services, employment, and housing. And the 24/7 Resident Support team provides around-the-clock services to shelter guests to accommodate varying work schedules and life circumstances.

We strongly believe that every person is an expert of their own lives and we try to avoid making assumptions on behalf of the families we work with. Allowing independence in decision-making works wonders in building life skills and self-sufficiency. These are true wrap-around services and wouldn’t be possible without your commitment to FPTV’s mission.

Wilsonville Subaru alongside Operation Warm ran a Subaru Loves to Help event for FPTV. The generous donation of 15 boxes of warm, attractive coats in toddler sizes through adult large filled a critical need. We are thankful for their generosity and partnership in protecting our guests during this winter season. Donations of warm caps, gloves, and coats sizes XL and larger are still requested.

Youth from Tualatin Presbyterian Church enjoyed the opportunity to create heart-shaped inspirational notes. They even stitched Valentine's pockets and filled them with candy.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”

- Elizabeth Andrew

It’s not too late to participate in our third annual “Heart for Kids'' month. This is an amazing opportunity for our community members to provide heart-shaped inspirational notes of encouragement for our guests. In addition to accepting Valentines, we welcome your donations of Valentines’ candy and activities for kids.  Submissions can be mailed or dropped off at our shelter - FPTV, 11460 SW Pacific Hwy., Tigard, OR 97223 now through the end of February. Please consider making this a group activity (Girl Scouts, Sunday school class, youth group, co-workers, etc.) Contact Gina with questions at Gina@familypromiseoftv.org. 

Other ways to help:

Meal Preparation Assistants: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1-4 pm

Food preparation currently takes place off-site. To help, online training is not required. Click the blue button below to sign up!

Meal Servers and Clean-up Crew: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5-7:30 pm. Click the purple button below to sign up!

Please contact Gina at gina@familypromiseoftv.org to learn how you can help.

All volunteers need to complete two online training modules covering trauma-informed care guidelines. This training is conveniently available 24/7 and takes approximately two hours to complete. Click on the yellow button below to get started!