Unsheltered homelessness has become an epidemic in America, and a humanitarian crisis in every major metropolitan area within.  Common now are tent cities abutting tall sky scrapers and municipal parks in urban areas, and as we head into storm clouds of domestic and global recession, food shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation, houselessness is due only to get worse--and already is.  

Laura Purkey is an educator and mutual aid worker who devotes much of her time sourcing free meals, clothing, and supplies for unsheltered populations in Portland, Oregon.  For three years, Laura has helped to provide a weekly free lunch program in the St. Johns neighborhood, served on Boards of Directors of food banks region-wide, and otherwise assisted in advocating for housing and well-being for those in need. 

An excerpt from local NBC affiliate KGW News:  Every Wednesday afternoon in North Portland friends and neighbors bring something nourishing to the table.

“It’s people taking care of each other,” Laura Purkey said.

At St. Johns Plaza, Purkey puts on a weekly potluck with a purpose.

“A phrase that’s really stuck with me is solidarity, not charity,” she said. “And that’s what I really see happening in this potluck.”