The Founder:
Pastor Marcia Mattoso, the founder and director of Hope Station, knows poverty. She grew up in Brazil, where every day was a challenge. Her family worked but struggled to have enough to eat. They didn’t have help from any nonprofit agency or the government. Her mother, father and a sister lived in a tiny 250 sq. ft. house - with one bed for all of them. Life was tremendously stressful! Though it was difficult, through a series of miracles, Marci attained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Theology. She became an Associate Pastor in Brazil and then, in her late twenties, she had an opportunity to come to the United States to better prepare herself academically for a life of service.
She received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from George Fox University and worked as a marriage and family therapist for several years. Marci saw the many complex needs of people and became determined to help them in a holistic way. She decided to go back to school and signed up at Portland State to study non-profit management, gaining the necessary skills to set up an organization to meet the many needs.
The Organization:
The internship of the Portland State program introduced Marci to Birch Community Services, Inc. (BCSI) in Portland, OR.where an excellently-run non-profit became the model for Hope Station. The uniqueness of the Birch plan is that it is not just another give-away program. It is focused on the working-in-need - those who are trying to make it but just do not have enough to make ends meet. The plan encourages responsibility, where the participants pay a small service fee each month as well as give some time volunteering at the warehouse. The founders, Barry and Suzanne Birch, offering their time and expertise, became the mentors of Hope Station. And when it was time, BCSI also began donating groceries and other products, which to this day is a great blessing.After her Portland State program, Marci contacted Salem First Church of the Nazarene, presenting her idea for an organization to help the working-in-need. The Pastor, Dave McGarrah,and the church board eagerly accepted the challenge of assisting this dream of faith. The plan was that this organization would be focused on serving the community at large, and not just their own church members.
Being a project focused on the community, HS also invited other churches and businesses to get involved. This included donating time, food, or monetary gifts.
In the Fall of 2008 the 501(c)3 non-profit status was granted. In November of that year, Hope Station was born and began to serve. Many individuals and businesses got involved immediately, helping wherever needed. Elsinore Framing and Fine Arts Gallery in downtown Salem sublet their basement, a 1500 sq. ft. area, to be the starting place. But, soon the space was too small and a larger warehouse was needed. Also Elsinore Framing and Fine Arts Gallery and Willamette Valley Mortgage helped with collecting groceries with “art-for-food” donations.
So, after just five months Hope Station moved into a 4,000 sq. ft. warehouse housing both groceries and clothing. In sixteen months HS had served hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of food had been given away. None of this could have been possible but for the Lord’s blessings, and the wonderful dedicated group of donors and volunteer workers.
Hope Station is striving to live up to its name!
The Working-in-Need:
Those who enter the program are working individuals and families who are struggling to meet their monthly expenses. These people make too much for governmental assistance but not enough to pay all their bills.
Many organizations are targeting individuals and families who make below the State poverty line. These families have help from a variety of of resources, but those who earn more, don’t have the same opportunities. These are the people we want to help.
Also, sometimes the system enables people to continue on welfare, without empowering them to improve their lives. By asking the people we serve to pay a small monthly fee and volunteer some of their time, we are encouraging responsibility and a sense of ownership. Our desire is to provide a hand up, not a hand out.
