Corbin Katner (he/him) grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and attended Oberlin College. A midwest native, he's very excited to explore a different area of the states in Portland! He loves creative writing (fiction and autobiography), reading across most genres, listening to music and playing it (on the piano), dancing with friends and in contact improv spaces, meditating for long periods, and focused introspection/mental health work. He does not belong to any particular religion and would rather not get into that here. He's very excited to work with JOIN PDX this year, particularly in the developing of relationships and community with and for unhoused people, improving the crossover between his logistical and social skills, and honing his sense of empathy to work along materially useful lines.

Edward Buck-Shannon (He/him) was born and raised in Tucson Arizona. Edward graduated from the University of Arizona in 2024 with a BA in global studies with an emphasis in political economy and a BA in Latin American studies. Edward previously worked as a researcher and translator at Keep Tucson Together, an organization that provides pro-bono legal services to asylum seekers, DACA recipients and other people in immigration court. As a native of Southern Arizona Edward is passionate about the culture and politics of the US-Mexico borderlands. Edward is thrilled to work at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Public Policy Advocacy and develop the skills necessary to affect change in his own community.

I am from Crozet, VA and attended Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA graduating with a degree in Environmental Science. I played 3 years of college soccer at EMU and love to play all types of sports. I also enjoy camping and hiking as well as pretty much any activity that is outside. I will be working with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon: Northeast Emergency Food Pantry this year.

Paloma is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, where she studied English and spent most of her time reading in hammocks. She loves to write, play piano and meander through random neighborhoods. She is so excited to be joining Outside In as their Reproductive Health Specialist!

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) meets the immediate needs of communities in the greater Portland area through our six direct service programs, while seeking long-term solutions through state-wide public policy and advocacy work. Our direct service programs support refugees and immigrants, food insecure people, low-income people living with HIV, unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness, and survivors of domestic violence.

Fellow Position Description:

EMO will sponsor two fellows in 2024-2025.  One at the Northeast Emergency Food Program and the other at will be a Public Policy Associate.

Hillsboro Friends Church: We desire to live out our Quaker heritage with love for Jesus and affirmation for all our fellow human beings.

Fellow Position Description:

The QVS Fellow helps to coordinate a community meal and associated support services:

Houseless community members as well as a small and growing group in transitional housing and a significant number of trans and gender non-binary houseless people who are at significant risk of assault and sexual violence. For some, our community meal is a temporary refuge, and we want to do a better job of supporting them throughout the week. 

On Sundays, between twenty and thirty folks, mostly houseless but some in transitional housing, show up at 10 a.m., enjoy a light continental breakfast followed by a hearty lunch cooked on-site and hang out together for conversation until we start handing out brown-bag dinners (sandwiches and other snacks). We close the dining area and lock up the building at 1 p.m. The coordinator plans menus, recruits and collaborates with volunteers, coordinates supplies with our local food bank and a designated shopper who picks up whatever supplies are needed and that can't be provided by the food bank, works with a small team to begin cooking at 8:30 a.m. Greet community members at 10 a.m. Resource community members with clothing and other supplies from our "store," closes the building at 1 p.m., and finishes clean-up at 2 p.m. The coordinator will have a designated office space and time to dream about how to strategically expand program services in small but sustainable ways.

JOIN works to support the efforts of individuals and families experiencing houselessness to transition into stable housing. Founded in 1992, JOIN is a regional leader and innovator of “Housing First'' social work; our relationship-based, trauma-informed, and collaborative service model celebrates and uplifts each person’s self-determination, dignity, joy, and resilience.

Today, JOIN’s seven programs and ~50 staff provide culturally-responsive services in support of Portland’s most important housing initiatives across the Adult and Family Housing Systems–Rapid Rehousing, Permanent Supportive Housing, Primary Leasing, and provision of very-low-barrier essential services at JOIN’s Dayspace. We serve individuals and families living in places not meant for habitation, doubled up, unstably housed, and in transitional housing to support their move into stable housing and help them retain that housing with support from Housing Retention workers. Our Dayspace, JOIN’s drop-in service center, serves approximately 100 individuals per day and provides access to regular meals, a mailing address, showers and hygiene products, system resource navigation support, weekly onsite medical services, and other support.

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility was founded in 1981 by a group of local physicians and scientists who advocated against nuclear weapons and for the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. We are the local affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War which was awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Guided by the values and expertise of medicine and public health, Oregon PSR seeks a healthy, just and peaceful world for present and future generations by protecting human life from the gravest threats to health and survival.

Specific programs include advocating for a healthy climate and environment, ending nuclear power, and promoting peaceful alternatives to militarism, nuclear weapons, and gun violence. In addition to bringing the health perspective to issues of social responsibility, we intentionally prioritize the voices and needs of communities of color. We work to incorporate racial and immigrant justice into our environmental, anti-nuclear, and peacebuilding work.