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Every other Saturday, two or three dozen out-of-work stagehands in IATSE Local 28 come together outside the union’s office at the Oregon Labor Center in Southeast Portland to receive donated food and household supplies. On Feb. 27, the array ranging from fresh produce to Hershey’s Kisses is overseen by Local 28 Good and Welfare Committee member Laura Fraley, above. Fraley was working at the prop shop of the Portland Opera when the pandemic hit; her last day of work was March 13, 2020. Local 28 member Liz Spottswood says the event doesn’t just help members stretch their grocery budgets; it’s also a chance to catch up with coworkers at a time of isolation. ....
And LCSA stepped up big time. In a year unlike any other in more than a generation, LCSA pumped more than $325,000 of assistance into those communities, representing 1,800 families and 7,000 adults and children served. Most notably, LCSA sent out close to $120,000 in housing stability aid and $85,000 in emergency food resources. The overall emergency response represents a 70% increase in aid compared to 2019, directly representing the tremendous amount of need that working families faced in 2020. “Whether it was housing stability assistance, emergency food cards, childcare cost coverage, or increased internet bills for distance learning, LCSA staff dedicated their whole selves to standing with working families throughout the disruptions of 2020,” said Executive Director Eryn Byram. ....
By Mike Gutwig Labor’s Community Service Agency’s (LCSA) annual Presents From Partners “Labor of Love” holiday program took on a whole new look this year due to the coronavirus. For the past two decades, children and their families facing tough times have gathered at Sheet Metal Workers Local 16’s headquarters in Northeast Portland for a holiday treat. They enjoyed a union-catered lunch and visited with Santa Claus before being led into rooms filled with toys, bikes, stuffed animals, clothes and presents for their parents. They could choose what they wanted. This year, because of COVID-19 crowd restrictions ordered by the governor, the party had to be canceled. But as LCSA Executive Director Eryn Byram said: “Hey COVID, you ain’t got nothing on organized labor. We are ready to roll!” ....