Sisters Of The Road

Programs: Cafe hot meals/barter program: sisters of the road cafe provides low cost meals to people who are experiencing homelessness or have low incomes, tuesday through saturday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The cost of the meal is $1. 25, which may be paid for in cash, with the oregon trail benefit card, a meal coupon, or with credit earned by working through the hot meals/barter program in the cafe. Meals are served free of charge to those who are unable to pay and unable to work due to age, health, or parenting responsibilities. Through community partnerships, the cafe is able to serve the freshest food possible and become more sustainable in all of our practices.

sisters of the road started a food justice project as part of the cafe program where customers participate in food for thought forums. During these forums, customers talk about food accesibility and health issues. A group of customers began a community garden as a result of these forums. Produce from the customer-led community garden is sold to other customers in the cafe through a weekly farmstand or incorporated into cafe meals. Additionally, we began a partnership with the portland farmer's market where our customers can use barter credit to purchase fresh produce.

our systemic change team works to implement programming that empowers community members to be their own advocates, and seeks to address the root causes of poverty and houselessness. We are grounded in the understanding that people from our customer community should be leading this work in economic justice, and we provide folks a space and the autonomy to take on these leadership roles. Sisters is committed to working towards systemic solutions to end homelessness and poverty forever. We do this work every day in the cafe by building relationships and also through our systemic change program, which currently encompasses our food justice program, as well as our wrap intern and program. In its first year as its own program - since the systemic change team was integrated with the cafe team and food justice in 2014 - our focus this year will be building infrastructure, momentum, and learning together with our community about how to direct our collective energies.

the development team ensures that sisters has the financial resources needed to run the cafe, systemic change, and other programs and to maintain a small financial reserve. The development operating team is the primary communication body, ensuring that customers, donors, media and the general public are kept up to date on sisters, our programs, and activities.