Clackamas Women’s Services Partners with Hacienda CDC to Provide Meals for Domestic Violence Survivors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, May 4th, 2020 
CONTACT Brenda Kinoshita,
Phone: (503) 557-5820;
Email: brendak@cwsor.org
Oregon City, OR (May 4th, 2020) — Clackamas Women’s Services (CWS), a local domestic and sexual violence response agency, is partnering with Hacienda Community Development Corp. (CDC), owners of the Portland Mercado, and Mercado vendors, to provide warm meals for domestic and sexual violence survivors during the pandemic. The partnership serves a dual purpose: supporting culturally-specific local businesses and caring for domestic violence survivors and their families currently receiving shelter.
The project began several weeks ago as a small pilot, with food cart vendors at Portland Mercado cooking fresh, packaged meals which Clackamas Women’s Services (CWS) staff delivered to survivors sheltered safely in confidential locations in Clackamas County. The organization delivered 42 meals the first week and is now expanding to deliver nearly 100 fresh meals weekly. Four small businesses have participated so far: La Arepa, Fernando’s Alegria, Kaah Market, and Qué Bacano! These businesses are part of the Portland Mercado, a Latino Market and economic development initiative of Hacienda CDC, which supports 19 small businesses and brings together diverse cultures through food, art, and entertainment.
“The comfort of meals prepared by Mercado vendors is much appreciated by the survivors receiving them. Some participants look out their windows when they hear the footsteps of our staff delivering a box of necessities, including the Mercado meals. They see the face of someone who cares, and the fresh meals show survivors that the community cares about them as well,” said Melissa Erlbaum, Executive Director of Clackamas Women’s Services.
The partnership is an innovative response to the ongoing challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. Though effective at slowing the spread of the COVID-19, the recent stay-at-home orders have had an immediate and deep impact on local restaurants. The timing is even more challenging for many businesses as spring is usually the time that business picks up. Instead, it feels as if winter has not ended. Meanwhile, domestic violence response agencies are managing an increase in the need for services, particularly safe shelter. CWS is now housing twice as many survivors as usual to accommodate the need without the convenience of a central shelter kitchen for families to prepare meals in.
Domestic violence survivors currently being sheltered have limited access to fresh food. CWS serves many survivors from vulnerable populations including seniors, people with disabilities or with ongoing health conditions, and those reliant on public transportation which makes safely traveling to grocery stores difficult. Additionally, to maintain appropriate social distancing, many survivors are sheltered in spaces without access to full kitchens. While many people are spending their extra time at home baking bread, this is just not an option for many survivors who are subsisting on microwave and canned meals.
“Thank you to Clackamas Women’s Services for thinking about our hard-working small business community. This is just one of the many examples of our community coming together in crisis to support one another. Juntos we are stronger.” Ernesto Fonseca, CEO -Hacienda CDC
“This partnership gave us a financial relief during the difficult times we are all going through; it also gave us the opportunity to support members of our community providing them a tasty meal,” Fernando Rodrigues, Fernando’s Alegria.
Portland Mercado vendors have adapted, offering online and to-go orders. Along with partnerships like this, Mercado businesses are able to provide the community with authentic flavors and remain in operation, and domestic violence survivors receive the much-needed comfort a fresh meal can bring, as well as assurances that their community cares.
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About Clackamas Women’s Services
Clackamas Women’s Services began in 1985 when community members saw women and children in their community impacted by domestic violence and banded together to create a solution. CWS grew out of neighbors opening their homes and sharing what they had in hopes of building a safer community for families. Since that time, CWS has grown beyond shelter to offer a wide range of services for anyone experiencing domestic and sexual violence from initial crisis through to long-term healing. We continue the legacy of working with community members, emergency responders, partnering social services, and for-profit businesses to build communities that protect and support survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Those interested in working with us to break the isolation of domestic and sexual violence through volunteer service or financial support can find more information on our website, https://www.cwsor.org/. The 24-hour support line is 1-888-654-2288.
About Hacienda CDC
Hacienda CDC is a Latino Community Development Corporation that strengthens families by providing affordable housing, homeownership support, economic advancement and educational opportunities. Hacienda CDC was formed in 1992 to provide necessary housing and supportive services in a low-income, predominantly Latino community. Today, we provide safe, stable homes for over 1,500 individuals each year, and over half of those individuals are children. Hacienda embraces a holistic approach to development and serving Latinos throughout the region with programs in Community Economic Development, Homeownership Support, and Youth & Family Support Services. We have grown to become Oregon’s largest Latino-led, Latino-serving housing organization and remain a trusted name in the Latino population. www.haciendacdc.org