Oregon Synod’s Disaster & Climate Resilience Team’s Solidarity Summer 2024

in collaboration with PCUN’s 2024 Wildfire Rapid Response Campaign

“Solidarity is the recognition of our inherent interconnectedness, an attempt to build bonds of commonality across our differences. It is an ethos and spur to action rooted in the acknowledgement that our lives are intertwined … It is not unity or sameness, but a way of connecting with others: forging new communities, developing shared visions, and building power to push for social change.”

— From “Solidarity” by Leah Hunt-Hendrix & Astra Taylor

OVERVIEW

The Oregon Synod’s Disaster & Climate Resilience team is organizing a Solidarity Summer in collaboration with PCUN (Oregon’s farmworker union), as part of PCUN’s 2024 Wildfire Preparedness & Rapid Response Campaign.

People of faith and courageous love (and the groups and congregations we’re connected to) will build community resilience alongside our farmworker neighbors, in the face of climate disruptions, extreme weather events, and increasing wildfires.

Throughout the summer, we’ll learn from one another about how climate change is impacting our diverse communities – and how we can be more resilient together. We’ll march and advocate for workers’ rights and safety. And we’ll deepen our connections with one another and Mother Earth. We’ll collect and pack items for emergency go-bags to be distributed to 500 farmworker and Latine families at a series of multilingual and culturally-responsive wildfire preparedness workshops offered by PCUN organizers throughout July and August. We’ll explore what it means to build relationships of solidarity across difference. And we’ll lay the groundwork for future collaboration, advocacy, and organizing together to advance climate justice and resilience!

Watch this video to learn more about PCUN’s Wildfire Preparedness and Rapid Response Campaign! (4 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles)

JULY 18th CONVIVIO & OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONNECTION

On Thursday, July 18th from 1:00 – 4:00, we’ll gather at PCUN’s headquarters in Woodburn, Oregon for a special convivio outdoors, surrounded by the beauty of PCUN’s communal garden.

At this event, we’ll have the opportunity to meet PCUN’s team of six seasonal organizers, as well as the two lead organizers of the campaign. Together, we will not only create the emergency backpacks to be distributed in the campaign, but also take a moment to acknowledge the land we stand on and express gratitude to our ancestors and Mother Earth. We will share blessings to guide all of us in our endeavor to build more resilient communities, and especially the organizers’ efforts to bring education and awareness to the farmworker and Latinx community.

We’re also organizing additional opportunities to bring our communities together throughout the summer:

May 1st – May Day / International Workers’ Day March and Rally in Salem
June 23rd – PCUN’s annual Cumbre de Trabajadores in Woodburn
July 18th (1-4:00pm) – Convivio & Emergency backpack prep (flyers in English & Spanish)
July 22nd (6-7:30pm) and July 24th (12-1:30pm) – virtual workshops on building relationships of solidarity across difference, and belonging without othering (choose 1) flyer here
July/August – Wildfire Preparedness Workshops
Mid-September (Date TBD) – Campaign Celebration

LIST OF SUPPLIES

Our goal is to collect 500 of each of the items listed in this spreadsheet by August 1st. Items should be similar to (but don’t have to be the exact make/model) as those in the spreadsheet. You can help us meet our goal in the following ways:

Purchase items from the list and drop them off at one of the sites listed below.
Purchase items online, and have them shipped directly to: Elizabeth Chavez, 1445 Marcel Ct., Woodburn, OR 97071. Please email sarahl@oregonsynod.org with details so she and Elizabeth can make sure to expect your delivery and update the spreadsheet.
Make a cash donation, which we will use to purchase supplies on your behalf. Donate online here and make sure to note in the text field: “PCUN Solidarity”, or write a check to: “Oregon Synod” and mail to: 2800 N Vancouver Ave. Suite 101, Portland, OR 97227, with “PCUN Solidarity” in the memo line.

DROP-OFF SITES

Currently we are accepting supplies at the following locations. If your community is interested in serving as a supply drop-off site, please email sarahl@oregonsynod.org.

Oregon Synod Office: 2800 N Vancouver Ave # 101, Portland, OR 97227

Generally open from Tuesdays – Fridays from 9:00 – 4:00pm, but please call ahead (Sarah, 503-367-0157) to arrange a drop-off time so we can make sure someone on staff will be there to welcome you.

Christ Lutheran Church: 15029 2nd St NE, Aurora, OR 97002
Please call ahead to arrange a drop-off: 503-678-5135.

JOIN US!

Individuals, teams, and congregations are welcome to join and participate as you’re able for any or all components of Solidarity Summer! SIGN UP HERE to stay in the loop and let us know how you would like to be involved!

Have questions? Contact Sarah Loose (Director of Disaster & Climate Resilience for the Oregon Synod, 503-367-0157, sarahl@oregonsynod.org) or Janelly Carranza (Organizer with Together Lab, janelly@togetherlab.org) for more information.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Share this info page and invite your friends, family and community members to join us throughout the summer and collect supplies, too!