Today's guest speaker, Annie Heart, Executive Director from Family Bridge Shelter for Homeless Families with Children, explained the work of the shelter in providing short-term living arrangements for families without homes.
The organization has been operating in the Hillsboro area for almost 15 years, providing a safe place for families for six weeks to rest while they find work and homes of their own.
In Washington County alone there are over 2,000 homeless children and families in need. The Family Bridge Shelter provides job referrals, home placement, and meals to those in need. A member of the Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Hillsboro Shelter is one of 180 shelters in the country, with each state having at least one shelter in operation.
Support for the organization from Hillsboro Optimist Club members can be:
- Spend time with children while the parents are busy.
- Spending time with the families on the weekends
- Providing goods such as blankets and towels.
- Maintenance work in the spring: cleaning gutters, painting bedrooms, washing windows and helping in the garden.
To become a volunteer, contact Annie Heart at 503-844-2919 and attend the February 5th New Volunteer Orientation at 5:30p.m. at the shelter.
