Be the Difference:

There are many ways to make a difference for people who need your support. If you do not have an Opportunity Community in your city:

* Help Create an Opportunity Community or Support National Services

If your city does not have an Opportunity Community, help make that happen by  making a  financial contribution. Send your requests and donation to: Povertybridge, 619 SW 11th Ave. Suite 110, Portland, OR 97205

                                                    Or

* Support Your Local Opportunity Community

If your community is an Opportunity Community, you can get involved in many ways:

1. Become a Navigator 

Navigators work directly with an Opportunity Conference attendee to help connect them to resources they need to transition out of poverty.  PovertyBridge supports Navigators in this endeavor through training, a web-based information system, and connections with Specialty Navigators.  What a Navigator does:

  • Attend a 4-hour “Poverty 101” workshop.
  • Attend an Opportunity Conference and meet the people who need your help.
  • Exchange contact information with at least two people and agree to communicate with them approximately once a week for at least six months.
  • Listen and evaluate what resources they need to move forward.
  • Make connections to the resources they need and to those who can help.
  • Guide them in building a network of support.
  • Attend the optional pre-conference monthly discussion/guidance meetings listed here.

 Interested in becoming a navigator?  Sign up here and we'll get you on the list. 

2. Become a Specialty Navigator 

Specialty Navigators are people who know a bit about a particular area (e.g. housing assistance, food aid, legal aid) that may be useful to people living in poverty.  They agree to field phone calls from PovertyBridge Navigators and help them figure out how to address crises that their people are facing. 

3. Join the Opportunity Conference Coordination Team

We have a number of opportunities for assisting on the day of the conference.  We always need help with childcare, transportation, set-up, clean-up and more.

4. Make an In-Kind Donation

Each conference participant will receive a goody bag with a variety of useful items, and there will also be raffles throughout the day, and we're seeking donations for both.  One-of-a-kind items will be raffled off, and things that we get in quantity will be added to the goody bags.  We welcome any new, non-perishable goods, especially items that can't be bought with food stamps.  Here are just a few examples:

  • Personal care products (soap, shampoo, lotion, combs, brushes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, shave cream, etc.)
  • Laundry supplies (detergent, fabric softener)
  • Feminine Hygiene products
  • Office supplies (note pads, address books, calendars, pens)
  • Childcare products (diapers, baby wipes, baby powder)
  • Kid's stuff (crayons, pencils, pens, backpacks, notebooks, water bottles, Chapstick, candy)
  • Bus Passes