Friends, we are in need of dog food AND men’s underwear S-L. Both items can be found on our Amazon wish list amzn.to/44rDjKl. Thank you for your help! Drop off Mon-Sat, 8-10:30 am to 1:30-4 pm at 310 NW Glisan St.

It’s always good to have Jesuit Fr. Gary Smith in the cafe. He’s not your typical priest. His parish is the streets of Old Town around Blanchet House, where he is a friend to people who are poor, lonely, or struggling. At 88, he still volunteers weekly, offering support to our guests and residents.

Amelia Ryan, a junior at St. Mary’s Academy, rides the bus past Blanchet House in the morning and sees the line of people waiting for breakfast. She wanted to thank the people serving. With friends, she started the Kind Words Project, writing thank-you notes. Read more at https://bit.ly/4rdC4bY

One of our favorite things is seeing program alumni come back to volunteer. Like Chris, who lived with us above the café when he was struggling with his mental health. Today, he’s employed and housed. “I want to give back to the community that helped me when I was struggling," Chris shared.

Blanchet House is hiring a part-time, temporary Development Associate to support fundraising efforts. Wage: $27/hr; 24 hours per week for 3-4 months, non-exempt; Location: on-site; may require evening or weekends. Full job description and instructions on how to apply at BlanchetHouse.org/jobs.

Two people inspired by Dorothy Day met for the first time. It was cool to see our founder, Jim O’Hanlon, 98, chat with Gov. Tina Kotek at Blanchet's annual fundraiser.  Kotek shared that she, too, was shaped by the Catholic Worker Movement’s call to action to care for people experiencing poverty.

The Holms won our Hawaiian vacation raffle for an 8-night stay at a private home courtesy of the Northrup’s! We drew their names live at today’s brunch. 2nd place winner gets a stay in Bend. Thank you to everyone who bought tickets. Every $ supports our programs. We hope you’ll join us next year.

“Another successful Saturday breakfast! We had burritos which made everyone in the cafe happyyyy. 362 served. It was a busy morning, and we called 2nds about 15 minutes before closing. One last note, I had more folks inquire about our residential program.”

Good news: A once-homeless, disabled man secured a 1BR apt after a 6-month wait. Not-so-great: it's across from an ICE facility. With no income, options are few. It's critical that he be near community and providers. Our Well Wishes Fund will furnish his new place. It’s a stable start.

Erik wrote a referral for a man who needed a place to sleep. We’re grateful for our friends at CityTeam, a private men’s shelter that charges a small fee, for giving our staff emergency vouchers. This is what collaboration looks like.

The other night, 39 women found rest at Bethanie’s Room, our new, privately funded overnight shelter. Three came straight from the hospital after check-in hours. We do not receive city, county, state, or federal funding. You can help by donating $25 at https://blanchethouse.app.neoncrm.com/forms/48

Hundreds of catered sandwiches leftover from a convention are for lunch today. Thank you to the Oregon Convention Center and Levy for their quick action in getting good food to people who need it! Our guests appreciate it!

Every leaf in today’s salad was saved from waste and inspected by a guest in Blanchet House’s transitional shelter program. We rescue food—and people—offering free room and meals, and meaningful work to help rebuild work history, restore confidence, and move forward. All funded by the community.

We encourage artists in addiction recovery by hiring them to create our T-shirt designs. This piece by Sage Cloudfoot is inspired by Blanchet’s meal program. Shirts are $20, and every purchase supports our programs. Wear your support. Shop here: https://shopblanchet.com

Wow. So many people have made and donated sack lunches for our new women’s shelter, making sure guests have something to eat late at night. It’s a simple act that carries so much care. Thank you for showing up for the women we serve.

This Black History Month, we honor the contributions of Black Americans. Many of our city’s earliest Black residents lived in Old Town for railroad jobs and racist housing laws. Blanchet House opened in this same area to serve the poor. We committed ourselves to building an equitable future.

An invisible need we see fairly often is electric wheelchair repair and replacement. We got to know Carlos, pictured with his dog Toby, as diners at Blanchet House. From a broken chair to a quitable replacements took months. If you would like to help, please contact us at [email protected]

Thank you to Pete Bosack and the team at Madeway Design for leading a welding workshop at Blanchet Farm. Residents learned basic techniques and weld types and will keep building skills through our new metalworking program.

If you had to stay in a shelter, how would it feel to be handed dirty, used shoes or torn, stained clothing? Not great. Our mission isn’t just to meet basic needs. It’s to help restore self-worth. That starts with offering new or gently used items we’d be proud to give a friend. Thank you.

This sweet kitty, Halo, stayed at our women’s shelter, Bethanie's Room. We welcomed 29 guests, one dog, and five cats in one night. Pets are welcome as long as they stay with their person and don’t disturb other guests. Ways to help: https://blanchethouse.org/portland-womens-shelter-bethanies-room/

Coats and sweat pants needed. L-XXL Drop off at Blanchet House M-Sat, 8-10:30 or 1:30-4 pm. Shop Amazon wish list at amzn.to/44rDjKl

Our friends are offering their home in Waimea, Hawaii. A $50 raffle ticket enters you for a chance to win an 8-night stay with airfare.  Winners will be drawn on March 1, 2026. Get tickets and view full details at blanchethouse.ejoinme.org/2026BrunchRaffle. RAFFLE RULES APPLY.

We welcomed 25 women to our shelter last night. A 76-year-old woman shared that Bethanie’s Room is, “by far the best shelter I have ever stayed in. I feel like I have finally slept.” Our most urgent need is L-3X pants and NEW boxer briefs, M-2X. Info at https://blanchethouse.org/donate-clothing.

This Valentine’s Day, share love with purpose with a handcrafted gift from Blanchet that reflects care and second chances. Shop soaps, beeswax candles from our farm hives, t-shirts, totes, or our children’s books.  Every purchase supports healing. https://shopblanchet.com/collections/all

1000 pounds of good food saved from the landfill and put in the hands of hungry people thanks to the Oregon Convention Center and our quick acting team.

Ava hosted a Valentine-making project in the café, and our guests loved the chance to create and connect. It was a simple activity that brought real joy and reminded us that the café is more than a place for a meal.

Today, Blanchet House of Hospitality turns 74. In 1952, the line for a meal brought those facing hardship into view, making them impossible to ignore. In 2026, the line may look different, but the reasons haven’t changed. Hunger. Hard times. The need for a place you’re welcomed without question.

It was a beautiful first night at our women’s shelter, Bethanie’s Room. We welcomed 12 guests as staff settled into routines. A neighbor walked one woman to our door, relieved she would have a safe place to rest. By morning, guests gathered for coffee. Bethanie’s Room is fully donor-funded.

Two supporters donated their beautiful vacation homes, and we’re offering a raffle with two chances to win. One $50 ticket gives you a shot at Waimea, Hawaii, or Bend, Oregon. Only 750 tickets available. Winners drawn on 03/01/2026. Rules apply. https://blanchethouse.ejoinme.org/2026BrunchRaffle.

At lunch today, a diner asked for steel-toe work boots for a time-sensitive job opportunity. We had a pair on hand and got them to him right away. This is what support looks like in real time. When we have what people really need, doors open. Yes, we added shoelaces. :)

Nathan and Jason built these beautiful entry desks in Blanchet Farm’s Woodshop for our women’s shelter, Bethanie’s Room, which opens tonight. One of the things that makes Blanchet special is how connected our programs are, and how meaningful work is part of the healing process.

It was a joy to welcome neighbors in to tour our women’s shelter, Bethanie’s Room. Huge thanks to Jacqueline and Mark for bringing brand new rain jackets. Even if the photo caught Mark blinking. ;)

Today a guest stopped by with good news. He’s now staying at the WeShinePDX 24/7 shelter we helped connect him to, and he’s doing great. We’ve helped five people move into shelter there so far. Proof that when options exist and relationships are built, people exit homelessness.

We gave out 60 pairs of shoes in one hour! It felt good to have enough so everyone waiting in line could choose what worked for them, with a seat to sit and try them on.

We caught a sweet moment between Clint and his puppy, Odin, as they waited for lunch at Blanchet House. Clint shared this with us, “There’s nothing like Blanchet House in all of the country. What you do here is special. Thank you.”

Who likes coconut water? Our friends at The Peer Company brought us a truckload! We’re offered the to guests all week.

Are you hosting a Super Bowl party this weekend? Stop by Blanchet House, 310 NW Glisan St., Mon-Sat, 8-10:30 a.m. or 1:30-4 p.m. to pick up blue bags to collect bottles and cans. The bags are coded for Blanchet so you can simply drop them off at an Oregon Bottle Drop all at once. No need to sort.

Ted Coonfield spotted a piece of wood shaped like a heart at Blanchet Farm and was inspired to do something special with it. He turned it into a table by adding resin and a base, for our new women’s shelter, opening Feb. 9. Ted volunteers to teach woodworking skills to folks in recovery at our farm.

Help turn Walker’s frown upside down by donating new women’s underwear to Blanchet House in sizes S, M, and L. Shop our Amazon wish list amzn.to/44rDjKl

We'll be reading our new children's book, Toby's Farm Adventure, today (Jan. 31) at Bold Coffee & Books in Portland, at 11 a.m. Inspired by Blanchet House & Farm, the Toby series fosters empathy and reduces stigma. Purchase the books from Blanchet at https://shopblanchet.com/collections/merch

It was an honor to hear from Blanchet House founder Jim O’Hanlon Sr., 98, at the grand opening of our women’s shelter. Jim shared the story of opening a House of Hospitality in Portland at just 24 years old, alongside friends and family. A reminder of how a group of people can make a difference.

“This space is an act of refusal to look away," said Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. We cut the ribbon on Bethanie’s Room, our new women’s shelter, with guests Jim O’Hanlon, 98, who founded Blanchet House, Bethanie’s parents, Shelley and Rick, and Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici and Maxine Dexter.

RECORD-BREAKING NIGHT. 676 plates of spaghetti served! Tonight showed what’s possible when every part of our free café is working in sync. Huge thanks to our chef for cooking epic quantities of spaghetti for the end-of-month rush, and to Morgan for the fastest plating line we’ve ever seen.

A group of Buddhist nuns volunteered to make all 75 beds at our soon to open women’s shelter. They were visiting from Myanmar (formerly Burma) to learn about shelters.

Mattress Firm donated 75 bed frames, mattresses, sheets, pillows, and blankets for our new women’s shelter. These are very thick and comfortable mattresses! We can’t wait to welcome women to stay with us. Thank you Mattress Firm and The National Women’s Shelter Network for your generosity.

We had a great crew of volunteers paint a mural at our new women’s shelter Bethanie’s Room. Bethanie’s family donated supplies. Ashley Blevins of Benjamin Moore with Powell Paint Center donated paint. It’s looking great, and we can’t wait to open the doors to women.

This group from Canby, Oregon, made and donated 600 burritos for hungry people in Portland. Their unexpected gift of kindness is what we all needed today. Thank you for helping without judgment.

Not sure if this is worthy of a post, but… wow, not even 7 am and no line of people waiting to come in for breakfast! We are so glad the Portland city shelters were able to extend their morning hours until 8 a.m. through this freezing cold weekend.

Shoutout to SawStop's Matt Howard for their incredible gift of equipment to our woodshop. It's an investment in the people we serve, creating a professional space to train and build skills that lead to meaningful work. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and the belief behind it.

Thanks to you, our incredibly generous and compassionate supporters, our glove bin is full. So many people will have warm hands tonight because of you. We’re really grateful for the quick action. Thank you!