Resources abound at first ‘Senior Fair’

Find out who was behind this new outer East Portland event, and why it’s important …

Seniors seeking information regarding services come to the “Senior Resource Fair” held in the Mill Park neighborhood.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

The first resource meeting for seniors inside Midland Regional Library took place on October 28. “This is our very first Senior Resource Fair,” smiled Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.

Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson listens to concerns of her constituents at the fair, which was organized by her office.

“I’ve been in office since January, and this is one of the things that I wanted to get done in my first year! That is, to make sure that we are providing a way for outer East Portland resources to be connected with seniors, here in the mid-County area,” Vega Pederson told East Portland News.

This kind of fair has already been taking place in North and Northeast Portland, the District of Commissioner Loretta Smith, she said. “I really admire the work that she’s done. I wanted to make sure that the people in East Portland – the seniors in my own District – have the same access to these resources.”

Catherine McMullen learns safety tips from Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Deputy Quonisha James, and Enforcement Deputy Levi Yandell.

Her staff worked for several months to assemble 18 organizations from Multnomah County, the City of Portland, TriMet, and nonprofit organizations.

Pederson remarked, “What I hope comes from this is to make sure that all the resources that we, collectively, are providing – and those of our organizational network – are getting into the hands of the people who need it, here in outer East Portland.”

Portland Bureau of Transportation Traffic Safety & Neighborhood Livability specialist Sharon White promotes the Bureau’s “Vision Zero” program, and shares information about the “East Division Street Project”.

There was a steady stream of people visited the senior fair from the time it opened, and that continued throughout the day. “I look for us to definitely doing this again,” Pederson said.

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