Annual Report 2022

2022 was a year of survival and remaining rooted to our values. With many major events that occurred over the last year, including the lasting impact of the wildfires in Southern Oregon and the ways the pandemic has continued to affect the lives of Oregonians - these events have continued to illustrate disparities and inequities across the state and within several communities, exacerbating our efforts to bring change. Despite the investments and resources allocated to the communities we serve, it is still not enough.

Through this year, we learned to adapt and be creative in order to move a bold agenda that closes the gap in reaching more communities. We recognize that we cannot use the same incremental strategies that once worked to achieve this vision. The pandemic has shown us that anything can change on a moment’s notice and to survive the inevitable waves of change we must challenge ourselves to try new tactics and think outside the box.

This year, we celebrated our 20th year of serving our communities. We hosted our first policy action summit, launched our first community garden in East Portland, led new programs and campaigns, and increased our staff size and board engagement.

In 2023, we will carry out the plan to convert our headquarters into a Climate Resilience Innovation Center to provide emergency cooling and heating with emergency supplies as well as offer a space for resource navigation, a childcare center, and a workforce development hub. We aim to expand our organization by opening chapters to serve communities in Deschutes County and Marion County.

We invite you to deepen your commitment to our work in 2023. You, our members, shape our agenda and the direction of our organization. To work toward an intercultural movement for justice in Oregon, we need all of us to materialize this bold vision. If you have been thinking about getting more involved, now is the time.