Charitable activities in 2023

LCO, 2023

Gift Bags for Homebound Seniors

In May 2023, Lighthouse Center Oregon (LCO) volunteers gathered at Lighthouse Center Bakery for a lively and bustling charitable event to support Meals on Wheels Friendly Kitchen in Roseburg, Oregon. At the bakery, LCO volunteers worked in small teams to prepare 60 special gift bags. Each gift bag was filled with a cookie, a monkey bar, a snack bag of raisins and nuts, a sampler of herbal teas, two pieces of fruit, a tea towel, and a potholder. While the team in the kitchen baked the cookies and monkey bars, the teams in the bakery dining area packed the snack bags and herbal tea samplers. Then all the items were assembled into the gift bags before they were delivered to Meals on Wheels Friendly Kitchen to distribute to a special group of disadvantaged seniors.

Serving the Low Income and Homeless

At the LCO summer retreat, volunteers worked on a special charitable project to serve the low income and homeless people in Sutherlin, Oregon. Volunteers from Canada and the west coast of USA prepared 180 salads and assembled 60 gift bags that included a baked good, a nut & fruit snack bag, a toiletry kit, and a first aid kit. Both kits were put into waterproof, reusable zippered pouches. Inside each toiletry kit was a nail clipper, comb, shampoo, travel toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, body wash, and deodorant. Each first aid kit contained basic items such as a first aid pack with bandaid plaster strips and antiseptic, tissues, a flashlight, and a small writing notebook with pen.

The assembled donations were brought to the St. Francis Community Kitchen in Sutherlin for distribution at their meal facility as well as at a local homeless camp. St. Francis Community Kitchen was delighted to receive the donated food and gift bags.

Oregon Hospital Support

In August, volunteers prepared small grab-and-go snack bags for staff at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Vancouver, Washington. The snack bags included teas, fruit pouches, popcorn, trail mix, granola bars, and chocolate bars. The volunteers used their creativity and initiative to brainstorm and plan the event. On the day of the event, they enthusiastically assembled 191 snack bags and delivered them to the hospital.

The hospital’s volunteer coordinator expressed delight with the snack bags and immediately delivered them to the emergency department where the staff had been experiencing an overload of patient care. When the coordinator saw the bags, she exclaimed, “These are so cute!”

The hospital’s gratitude inspired the volunteers to repeat the charity activity in November when they assembled and delivered 200 snack bags.