Street Roots: Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box

Join Dignity Village and Kwamba Productions along with Street Roots and Sisters Of The Road tomorrow for a night of theater, film, art and education.

At the event, Kwamba and Dignity Village will screen a portion of the Tent Cities Toolkit interactive movie in which Dignity Villagers, Portland¹s former commissioner EriK Sten, Street Roots Israel Bayer, JOIN’s Marc Jolin, and many others are featured.

Portland's street newspaper Streets Roots, Sisters of the Road, among others, will open the event with exhibits from local street artists and photographers. The event will also premiere the 15-minute play "Road to Dignity," written and performed by Dignity Villagers, and directed by Deborah Rodney and Phyllis Jones.

The play is a lighthearted sketch of a typical day at Dignity Village, narrated by Gizmo, one of the Village cats. The play breaks stereotypes of why people are homeless. It gets down to the real nitty-gritty of who we are as people, neighbors, and as members in the community.

The event will close with an open-mic hour of music and poetry from the audience and broader community. If you would like to participate in the open-mic, please bring your instrument (mics are provided) and join the fun!

When: Thursday, May 8, from 6:30 9:00 PM (Doors open at 6PM)
Where: Hollywood Theatre (4122 SE Sandy Blvd, Portland)

Admission is free at the door!

Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box is sponsored in part by Regional Arts and Culture Council and will premiere local art, photography, a theatrical play, and a film.

This is a collaborative project between Dignity Village (www.dignityvillage.org) and Kwamba Productions (www.kwamba.com), who are long-time partners in producing outreach materials for ending homelessness through alternative housing communities.

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Where to buy Street Roots

Street Roots vendors can be found at busy crossroads throughout the Portland metropolitan area and at special events and farmers markets.

Look for a vendor at these locations:
Alberta Cooperative Grocery (1500 NE Alberta St.)
Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave.)
Daily Grind Natural Foods (4026 SE Hawthorne Blvd.)
5th & Morrison
Food Front (2375 NW Thurman St.)
Fred Meyer (various locations)
New Seasons (various locations)
Nordstrom (701 SW Broadway)
Peet’s Coffee & Tea (1114 NW Couch St.; 1441 NE Broadway)
People’s Food Co-op (3029 SE 21st Ave.)
Portland State University
Powell’s Books (W Burnside and 10th Ave.; SE 37th & Hawthorne)
Safeway (various locations)
Trader Joe’s (NE 42nd & Sandy; NW 22nd & Glisan)
Wild Oats (E Burnside and 28th Ave.)
Whole Foods (1210 NW Couch St.)
Stumptown (SW 3rd & Pine)
Peet's Coffee (SW 6th & Yamhill)

Our dedicated vendors are at the heart of Street Roots' mission

Our dedicated vendors are at the heart of Street Roots' mission.

Over 70 active vendors buy and resell street roots in the Portland metropolitan area and Vancouver. Since 1998 Street Roots has help put more than $1 million dollars directly into the hands of poor people.

Becoming a vendor

Vendor orientations take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1PM in the Street Roots office at 211 NW Davis. Vendor applicants must attend a one-hour training orientation to earn a badge certifying them as a street roots vendor. You won't be turned away as long as you are not under the influence during the orientation. As a new vendor you are given 10 papers to sell, on the house, to kickstart sales.

Vendors purchase papers for 30¢ each and sell them for $1 each. The high and continually improving quality of the paper makes street roots an easy sell in the community.

Benefits of becoming a vendor

Many street roots vendors are homeless and living on the street. Selling the paper enables them to look forward to another day. For quite a few of our vendors, selling street roots is the sole lifeline keeping them healthy and sane. Selling the paper has enabled scores of our vendors to put homelessness behind them.

When selling Street Roots for just a few hours can generate as much income as a full day of back-breaking day labor, it's no wonder that most of our vendors pursue this as a full-time endeavor. People who are unable to secure any other type of employment, whether due to chemical dependency, disability, a troubled history, or circumstance, welcome the opportunity to invest in themselves by selling street roots.

Our writers group helps vendors acquire the literary skills to compose and get published. Many street roots vendors regularly contribute poetry, art, and stories to the paper. A number of vendors have joined the staff as writers and columnists.

Vendors play a lead role in guiding the future of the organization. Vendors regularly hold meetings of a special council to resolve issues and disputes of key concern to those selling the paper.

In the planning stages are a micro-enterprise launcher, a small press publishing collective, and an arts & crafts workshop/gallery, among others—all engaging and employing impoverished people who are seeking to reclaim their lives.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box

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Our dedicated vendors are at the heart of Street Roots' mission