Neighborhood House Senior Center invites members to remember the life of Darlene Brunson

On Wednesday, July 12, at 11 a.m., the Neighborhood House Senior Center will celebrate the life of Darlene Mae Brunson.

Known for her caring nature, Darlene volunteered at the senior center for over 20 years, helping keep the Center clean and members fed. She first attended the center with her husband but quickly became a regular volunteer.

“Well, it happened this way. My husband and I, we came to visit. Just to sit down. And I started pushing the carpet sweeper and fiddling around, and one day one of the case workers said, ‘Darlene, would you have time to cut up some pastry for the kitchen?'” Darlene said during an interview with KATU2 in 2018. “And from then on, it’s just … I’m here.”

In 2018, KATU2 Everyday Heroes honored and recognized Darlene for her years of volunteer work at the the Neighborhood House Senior Center.

During her volunteer time at the Senior Center, Darlene was the consummate hostess, making sure everything was organized, clean and cared for. Darlene would wake up every morning at 5:30 a.m. so that she could be at the center by 7:30 a.m. to start the coffee. Throughout the day she organized donations, delivered pastries to community police officers that shared the building, constantly swept, washed the dishes, and made sure all senior center members were well taken care of.

“I help others, but in turn it’s helping me.”

Darlene brunson

“Even when she was having a bad day she would flash a small smile,” said Tracy, another Senior Center members and volunteer.

After the senior center closed for the day, Darlene would cross the street to Meals on Wheels to get boxes of their empty plastic vegetable bags and cut out the QR codes on them, which Meals on Wheels was then able to turn into donations – more than $4000 over the years, thanks to Darlene’s snipping skills.

“It’s good to keep busy and help people,” Darlene said. “And that’s why I do it.” Helping people was what she did for most of her life. After graduating from Multnomah School in 1938, Darlene worked at Fulton Park Dairy, awake by 3:00 a.m. to feed about 50 people. She went on to work at Stidd’s alongside her father for over 40 years, making tamales, chicken broth and Portland Punch, among many other tasks.

Darlene will be remembered for her friendly smile and tireless service to the Senior Center. Darlene’s favorite saying was “work is play I enjoy” and a quote she loved was “I help others, but in turn it’s helping me.” Darlene helped others her whole life and she leaves behind a beautiful history of giving.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.finleysunsethills.com for the Brunson family.

For more information on events held by the Senior Center, visit nhpdx.org/senior-services-2/.

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 dr​ive — 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 
Board Member & Program Participant 
Neighborhood House 

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