Our Stories

Camila was doing her best to pay attention in class. But her stomach was empty, and no matter how fast she pedaled her bike, she was late each morning. Her middle school’s office staff noticed that Camila was biking without a helmet. They contacted their FAN advocate. While searching for a helmet for Camila, her FAN advocate reached out to her teacher. It became apparent that Camila was on her own a lot. She asked for food often and was late because she was getting herself up and off to school without knowing the time.

That same day, Camila’s FAN advocate ushered her into her office, where she found a new bike helmet, a battery-operated alarm clock, and a food bag—the first of a program that would supply her food on the weekends. Camila is nearly always on time now, and enjoys her classes and the knowledge that there are people all around her ready to help.

When Bella’s grandpa fell ill, she was worried. Worse, she could tell her grandma was worried too. Medical bills, loss of income, and no paid time off painted a bleak picture for the small family. Unsure where to turn, her grandma called their school’s FAN advocate. After hearing about the family’s situation, their advocate quickly arranged for rental assistance and connected Bella’s grandparents to an Oregon Health Plan (OHP) assister who provided information on OHP and Volunteers in Medicine. Their advocate also shared services from local food banks to help tide them over while Bella’s grandpa was recovering.

A couple of weeks later the FAN advocate checked in with Bella’s grandma. Grandpa was back to work, the family now had health insurance, and Bella had plenty to eat. Best of all, Bella was smiling and able to focus on being a kid again.

Camila was doing her best to pay attention in class. But her stomach was empty, and no matter how fast she pedaled her bike, she was late each morning. Her middle school’s office staff noticed that Camila was biking without a helmet. They contacted their FAN advocate. While searching for a helmet for Camila, her advocate reached out to her teacher. It became apparent that Camila was on her own a lot. She asked for food often and was late because she was getting herself up and off to school without knowing the time.

That same day, Camila’s advocate ushered her into her office, where she found a new bike helmet, a battery-operated alarm clock, and a food bag—the first of a program that would supply her food on the weekends. Camila is nearly always on time now, enjoys her classes, and the knowledge that there are people all around her ready to help.

Julian seemed down. Usually a chipper and engaged kid, he was suddenly withdrawn—uninterested in classes and avoiding his friends. His teacher contacted the school’s FAN advocate for help getting to the bottom of this sudden change. After a phone call, his advocate discovered that Julian’s newly single dad had been intermittently out of work. He was struggling to make ends meet while having the flexibility to watch his son after school, and because he was self-employed, he didn’t qualify for unemployment.

Julian’s advocate quickly connected them with rental and utility assistance through NeighborImpact, so they could catch up on missed payments. Meanwhile, Julian was enrolled in a Bend Parks & Rec program with his fees waived, so his dad could work full time knowing his son was cared for after school ended. As the stress left his dad’s shoulders, Julian’s quirky personality and love for school returned. Julian walks lighter now, and lets his dad handle the rest.

When Bella’s grandpa fell ill, she was worried. Worse, she could tell her grandma was worried too. Medical bills, loss of income, and no paid time off painted a bleak picture for the small family. Unsure where to turn, her grandma called their school’s FAN advocate. After hearing about the family’s situation, their advocate quickly arranged for rental assistance and connected Bella’s grandparents to an Oregon Health Plan (OHP) assister who provided information on OHP and Volunteers in Medicine. Their advocate also shared services from local food banks to help tide them over while Bella’s grandpa was recovering.

A couple of weeks later the FAN advocate checked in with Bella’s grandma. Grandpa was back to work, the family now had health insurance, and Bella had plenty to eat. Best of all, Bella was smiling and able to focus on being a kid again.