Friends Stay Warm * P.O. Box 86185 * Portland, OR 97286 * 971-865-3530
© Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved
Friends Stay Warm
Supporting our farm, service and seasonal workers in Oregon
Organizations that work with farm, seasonal and service workers in Oregon, Northern California, Southwest Washington and Alaska
Farm Worker Ministry Northwest
part of the National Farm Worker Ministry
PO Box 86185
Portland, OR 97286
Rev. Connie Yost, President
971-865-3530
revconnie @ friendsstaywarm.org
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Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers
2228 NE Glisan St.
Portland, OR 97232
503-231-4826
Western Farm Workers Association
725 SE 7th Ave
Hillsboro, OR 97123
(503) 681-9399
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)
Woodburn, OR 97071
(503) 982-0243
Northwest Seasonal Workers Association
219 N Oakdale Ave
Medford, OR 97501
(541) 773-6811
Familias Unidas por la Justicia
PO BOX 1206
Burlington, WA 98233
fuj @ qwestoffice.net
Founder and Coordinator
Rev. Connie Yost
I founded Friends Stay Warm because I wanted to do what I can to help those who struggle within systems of economic oppression and injustice. I have never gone hungry nor worked for minimum wage as an adult. I was lucky that my family immigrated to the USA when it was perfectly acceptable to be an immigrant. My family had careers in a large company that offered them benefits and a pension. We weren't rich, but we certainly never had to worry about paying for our housing, utilities, food or clothing. Isn't that what every person deserves?
I became a Unitarian Universalist minister to provide hope and healing to those who suffer. In the face of so much injustice, abuse and environmental degradation, it is easy to feel as though there is nothing I can do that will really make a difference. Providing financial assistance for those in desperate need does make a difference. It literally keeps the lights on. But more than that, it shows our most vulnerable workers that we care about them.
Ultimately we have to change our economic and social systems so that everyone has the opportunity to earn a living wage. I urge you to join in the efforts of the organizations below which organize low-wage workers to advocate for their needs. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."