Whitaker Church Alluvium to provide Christmas meals and resources for those in need
On Christmas Day, a church in the Whiteaker neighborhood will host a meal and resource distribution for people experiencing homelessness or otherwise in need of support.
Warm food, cookies, snacks, groceries, tents and tarps will be available from 1-4 p.m. at the Alluvium, 810 W 3rd Ave. After the distribution of food and resources, all community members are invited to participate in a potluck meal and participants are encouraged to bring food, clothing or other resources they'd like to share.
The events will end with the space's weekly Sunday Open Mic at 7 p.m. Live music will play throughout the day.
“Our goal is to make sure that everyone has a warm meal on Christmas Day,” volunteer coordinator Beck Bentz said in a news release. “But we want each person, including our volunteers and the community we serve, to leave with not just a nice meal, but also a new friend.”
The Alluvium is "a space that seeks to provide resources for spiritual actualization while leaving the definitions of spirituality up to the individual," according to its website. The space also hosted a Thanksgiving dinner.
Open faith and open doors:The Alluvium pours out in song and community sentiment
The efforts are mostly funded by the community. FOOD for Lane County is providing the food and groceries. A gofundme fundraising campaign that invited donors to vote for Krampus or Santa raised nearly $1,000 so far for tents and tarps. The Alluvium will match that amount.
Other organizations pitching in include Voodoo Donuts, Eugene Acoustic Concerts, Whiteaker Community Dinners, Edelic Center for Ethnobotanical Services and Rhizohm Distribution. The Way Home will provide arts and crafts materials to entertain children and adults who want to craft holiday gifts.
Alluvium works with FOOD for Lane County and Eugene Burrito Brigade/Little Free Pantry Project year-round to host food events including their weekly Generosity Market from 1-3 p.m. every Sunday. These projects distribute more than 3,000 pounds of food each week.
Lane County recently honored Alluvium with the Justice of Eating Award for its efforts.
Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-338-2454, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene's Alluvium to provide meals, resources for Christmas
