From the p:ear kitchen

Hungry yet?

p:ear cook Carol Jones makes some amazing breakfasts. This recipe is perfect for a Valentine's Day sweet treat!

Ricotta Pancakes with cherry sauce and greek yogurt

To make the sauce:

1/2 cup of water, divided

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

2 cups of pitted cherries (Bing or other sweet, dark cherries work best)

2 tablespoons of brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Whisk 1/4 cup of water with cornstarch. Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add cherries, the rest of the water, brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase heat to medium high and add cornstarch. Stir until mixture boils and thickens (add some water if sauce is too thick) for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

To make the pancakes:

3/4 cup of flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking power

bit of salt

1 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese

4 large egg yolks

1/2 whole milk

3 large egg whites

Whisk flour, sugar, baking power and salt in small bowl. With a mixer, beat ricotta cheese and egg yolks until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Reduce mixer speed to low and flour slowly with milk, beating until blended.

With clean beaters, mix egg whites in bowl until stiff. Fold 1/4 of ricotta into mixture to lighten, then add in remaining whites in three additions. Heat griddle to medium heat and brush with oil. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Cook until bubbles on top (about 3 minutes) until golden brown. Voila! Breakfast time!

On the side: Greek yogurt, honey (and the p:ear kids always ask for maple syrup).

Preserve p:ear raises over $1,200

A big thank you to Sarah Dougher's PSU Capstone class who raised over $1,200 in cranberry sauce sales for Preserve p:ear!

preserve p:ear

From Sarah Dougher's PSU Capstone class:

Hey p:ear supporters and fans!

A group of Portland State students, in collaboration with p:ear, are looking for pint-sized canning jar donations. We are working on a project to raise money for the p:ear Kitchen and Food program by making and selling cranberry sauce for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We are seeking donations of 500 jars and screwlids. We know that together we can source these.

If you have jars to spare, or would like to contribute new jars to this project, please drop your jars by p:ear, or email:preservepear@gmail.com, and we can come pick them up. We need your donations by Nov. 8th.

Please stay tuned for information about how to order your cranberry sauce!

Thanks!

The p:ear Cranberry Project

"Without p:ear, there would be more young adults struggling to carve a niche in the world for themselves—alone"

This past summer, Sarah Dougher's PSU Capstone class volunteered at p:ear to learn about the issues around food and homelessness, and held a fundraiser that brought in nearly $2,6oo for the p:ear kitchen. Here's one student's reflection on her experience at p:ear:

Sometimes we experience something which deeply connects us to our community, pulls at our core, moves us to change the way we pursue life; if even in a subtle way.

Over the summer I enrolled in a senior capstone class at Portland State University which brought me closer to the issues of food insecurity and homelessness than I ever thought possible. Through that class, the other students and I worked closely with Pippa, Joy, Beth, and other volunteers to cook food for the kids at p:ear. Additionally, we organized a fundraiser that was, in our humble opinions, a monumental undertaking.

As the class progressed and my knowledge of social issues grew, I found myself profoundly moved by what the folks at p:ear provide with small donations. Not only do they feed people with donations alone, they serve good, nutritious, tasty, soul-satisfying meals. The staff and volunteers work extremely hard to acquire this food and create a safe space. Observing their hard work cemented my resolve for organizing an event to assist their cause. I knew we were more than capable of organizing an event, and I felt personally compelled to volunteer my time and energy to do so.

Throughout the planning of the fundraiser, I became increasingly aware of p:ear’s mission, and as the date of the fundraiser drew near I further realized the impact that their organization has on the community it serves. Without p:ear, there would be more young adults struggling to carve a niche in the world for themselves—alone. I firmly believe that the success of our fundraiser was a direct result of the connection we felt as a class to p:ear’s work.

My time with p:ear was an experience that shifted the way I will pursue my life, and I look forward to continuing to build a connection with all the folks at 338 NW 6th Avenue.

Back to School Night

Calling all "p:earants" (that's you!) Join us September 15th from 6-8 pm for Back to School Night at p:ear! It's a free, fun and interactive event to experience p:ear as our youth do. p:ear volunteers will be putting on program demonstrations, we'll have wine and snacks, and the staff will be on hand for Q&A. Hope to see you there!

Calling all outdoorsy Portlanders

This could be you!

If your car has a kayak strapped to the top alongside a couple of bikes and some skis (just in case you're up by Timberline), p:ear needs you! We're looking for volunteer to serve as a Trip Leader for p:ear's monthly rec trips around the region. Supported by Adventures Without Limits, p:ear youth get to experience river rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, snow shoeing and cross country skiing.

Starting in September, the Trip Leaders orders and obtains lunch, makes sure youth fill out the necessary forms and gets the forms to AWL, goes on the trip, and provides support and guidance. If interested please contact Joy at joy@pearmentor.org

Live Wire's Courtenay Hameister talks about p:ear programs

We're fortunate that so many talented members of the community donate their time in support of p:ear's programming. During a recent interview with Street Root's Joanne Zuhl, Live Wire host Courtenary Hameister discussed a writing group she did a p:ear:

J.Z.: You’ve gotten involved in the homeless front, doing an event for p:ear a few years ago.

C.H.: I did, and I got to go in one time for a writers group with some of the teen-agers there, and I got to sit in with them, and I got to read some of their stories and talk to them, and that was an amazing experience. And I was just blown away by the talent and how genuine these kids were and how much potential they had. It was just extraordinary. The work that p:ear does is unbelievable. I was really lucky growing up. I was slightly upper-middle class, and so I never had to deal with being afraid of not having a place to live, but I do know that had I not had a creative outlet, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I very well could have taken all that neuroses and allowed it to feed on itself instead of sending it out into the world. I think that all of our fears inside of us can just grow to be gigantic, and as soon as we speak them, they shrink. So an outlet like p:ear for these kids, it’s a place, for people to go and have that recognition — that there are people like me, and we matter. If that person matters, then I matter to.

You can do what Courtenay did! Contact joy@pearmentor.org to learn about volunteer opportunities and share your skills.

Did you know that...

• Oregon non-profits employ over 160,000 people or 12% of all private sector jobs in the state.
• Over 33% of all Oregonians volunteer, which is one of the highest rates of civic engagement in the U.S. (all stats are from The Nonprofit Association of Oregon)

Read about long-time p:ear volunteer Scrantz in the Oregonian's profile. We're lucky to have such great volunteers!

We can't do it without you: Thanks to p:ear volunteers!

p:ear wants to extend a special thanks to Kathryn Martensen a fantastic p:ear volunteer, who recently took a job up in Seattle. We are always so appreciative of volunteers like Kathryn who have given so much time, dedication and energy into making p:ear run. We really couldn't do this without such a fantastic group of people!

Interested in volunteering at p:ear like Kathryn? Contact joy@pearmentor.org.

In the kitchen at p:ear

From one of our outstanding cooks, Sabra Grace, who spends Saturdays getting delicious food ready for p:ear youth. We couldn't do what we do at p:ear without the support of volunteers like Sabra!

Hi Joy, I'm happy and grateful to do it :) Honestly, I get as much, if not more out of this than the youth and volunteers who eat the meal that I make. I really enjoy cooking, and having carte blanche in P:ear's kitchen to make healthy, inexpensive, delicious meals while pretending that I'm a contestant on Iron Chef is so much fun for me! I wouldn't want to spend a Saturday any other way. I've wanted to volunteer and give back to P:ear since my first day as a student. Thank you for all that all of you do. The P:ear Ladies inspire me everyday, and I can never find adequate words to articulate how much I appreciate you and all that you do. With Warm Sincerity and Admiration, Sabra

p:ear's food program needs your help

p:ear's innovative food program is one of the cornerstone's of our philosophy about working with homeless and transitional youth. Through healthy cooking, p:ear's meals help youth learn how to take care of their bodies with balance and nutritious meals. The kitchen at p:ear is a place of conversation where young people can have the time to learn about food and nutrition in contrast to being in survival mode out on the streets. We rely on many volunteer cooks and local restaurants, farms and food producers to help provide daily hot meals for p:ear's youth. And to keep p:ear's food program running, p:ear needs your help! If you are interested in cooking or have a restaurant connection, please contact joy@pearmentor.org.

If you're interested in cooking at p:ear, volunteer training is this Saturday, March 5th! Email joy@pearmentor.org to sign-up.

Volunteer Training, March 5th

Interested in volunteering or teaching a class at p:ear? Contact joy@pearmentor.org for information on the March 5th volunteer training at p:ear. Be part of the difference in these young peoples' lives! Volunteer at p:ear!