From Program Participant to Board Member: Love’s Journey of Community Support
“For the first time in my entire life, I was met with dignity.”
Written by Love
I want to tell you a story—my story—because it’s the reason I believe so deeply in Neighborhood House, and why I’m asking you to stand with families like mine today.
I’m Love — a mom, a Portland local, a program participant, and a board member who’s passionate about community.
Before I found Neighborhood House, my life looked very different. I come from generational poverty. I grew up navigating abuse, neglect, and the kind of instability that follows you long after childhood ends. As a young adult, without the tools or support I needed, I ended up in multiple abusive relationships.
Twelve years ago, I came to Portland homeless.
I was pregnant, a single mom, and sleeping on a friend’s floor with my child. A couple of weeks later, even that option was gone.
From there, life became a blur of shelters, hotel rooms, and constant survival. I eventually landed in an SRO rooming situation that was more abusive and manipulative than anything I had experienced before. Everything felt unstable. Everything felt overwhelming.
And then, finally, something shifted.
I was connected to the Neighborhood House 19th Avenue apartments.
That’s when my life began to change.
I enrolled my little one in Head Start—something I didn’t even know was a free service.
I started using the Free Food Market. I learned about more programs that could help us. But the biggest change wasn’t the services themselves.
It was how I was treated.
For the first time in my entire life, I was met with dignity.
I wasn’t talked down to. I wasn’t made to feel ashamed for needing help. I wasn’t forced to “prove” I deserved to survive. At Neighborhood House, people spoke to me with genuine respect, something I have so often not been given, simply due to my circumstances. That changed everything. Even now, it still brings tears to my eyes.
When you’re disabled, when you’re parenting alone, when you’re just trying to get through the day without falling apart…asking for help is hard. Being treated with kindness backed by action? It’s life-changing.
That kindness empowered me.
I joined the Head Start Policy Council.
I became involved in statewide advocacy work.
And eventually, when someone asked if I would consider joining the Neighborhood House Board, I said yes.
Being on the board fills a need I’ve carried my whole life: the deep need to give back. There is so little any one person can do alone. But when we connect, when we come together as a community, everything becomes possible.
People sometimes ask me why services like Neighborhood House still matter.
My answer is simple:
Because income inequality is growing.
Because our systems do not prioritize people in poverty.
Because without places like Neighborhood House, people really would go hungry. Children would go without resources necessary to thrive. Housing insecure families would be turned out into the streets.
And that is simply not acceptable.
Until we change the systems that create these conditions in the first place, we need community-based organizations that keep people alive, keep families housed, and treat every neighbor with dignity.
And there’s one more thing I want you to know:
No one chooses this.
Everyone is doing the best they can.
Sometimes people just need a little boost.
When you donate or volunteer at Neighborhood House, it is truly life changing. You may never meet every person you help—but please know there are so many of us who feel overwhelmed with gratitude because these services exist.
I am one of them.
So today, as we close out the year, I’m asking you to help more neighbors like me.
Here’s how you can help right now:
- Make a gift today — your support goes directly to families who need it most.
- Start a food drive — our Food Security Program is a lifeline and always needs support.
- Share my letter with a friend who believes in a more just and caring community.
Thank you for believing in this work.
Thank you for believing in people like me.
With gratitude, Love
