Two Sellwood benefit publications make fine gifts

By Eileen G. Fitzsimons

The Bee, Nov 27, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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At the top of my own Holiday shopping list this year are two recent publications whose purchase also benefits two Sellwood-Westmoreland non-profit institutions.

The first is a calendar, featuring photographs of the neighborhood from collections held by the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) neighborhood association, Oregon Yacht Club, Portland Rowing Club, and others. Although SMILE’s photos (which now number more than 175 images) may be viewed by appointment, and at the yearly neighborhood “Sundae in the Park,” Board member Dana Beck decided it was time to make them more accessible.

With SMILE’s financial backing, and the donated assistance of graphic designer Gray Whelan, Dana began work on the project in early 2008. He selected a dozen images, then spent many hours at the Sellwood Branch Library, cranking through microfilmed reels of THE BEE to find brief articles and ads to provide interesting and sometimes amusing sidebar tidbits for each month.

The calendar also includes a brief history of SMILE, the dates of its monthly General and Board meetings, and contact information for rental of the SMILE Station and the Oaks Pioneer Church.

The price of the calendar is only $10.00, which the mathematically inclined will notice is less than a dollar a month for a year’s worth of neighborhood history! Proceeds beyond the printing costs will be used to further build the photo collection, and hopefully to fund the next calendar as well. A limited number have been printed, so when the supply is gone, you will have to wait for the 2010 edition!

The calendar is available from the businesses in Sellwood and Westmoreland that are also carrying the other item I want to call your attention to: “Recipes & Memories”, a cookbook compiled from neighborhood residents’ treasured family recipes. Proceeds from this publication will go into the Endowment Fund of the Sellwood Community Center, located at S.E. 14th and Spokane Streets.

Built in 1910 as Portland’s first neighborhood branch Y.M.C.A., it duplicated the amenities of the big, downtown Portland “Y” of the time, including a gymnasium, dormitory rooms, a swimming tank, and meeting rooms. While it became the cultural, recreational, and social center of the neighborhood, it could not financially sustain itself as a Y.M.C.A.

Consequently, in 1920, it became a City of Portland Park and Recreation Bureau facility, and has continuously served the neighborhood for 89 years. Several years ago when the Center was threatened with program reductions, a non-profit group was formed, the Friends of the Sellwood Community Center, to raise funds to keep the Center operating. The cookbook is the result of an eighteen-month effort by volunteer members of the “Friends”.

Recipes in the cookbook are from neighborhood residents, and range from beverages and appetizers through entrees and desserts. And while there are recipes for Lemon-Sage Green Beans, Tofu Scramble, Crème Brulee French Toast, and Elephant Stew, there is only one that calls for a famous brand of fruit-flavored gelatin!

In addition, each section of the new cookbook features an historic photograph of activities at the Community Center. It includes is a standard index, organized by type of recipe — but there is also a second list as well, alphabetized by the contributor’s name. The spiral-bound book is only $12.00, with all proceeds going to the FSCC Endowment Fund.

Both the calendar and cookbook are available at the following businesses in Sellwood and Westmoreland: Twin Paradox Coffee House, S.E. 17th and Clatsop Streets; Wallace Books, S.E. Milwaukie Avenue at Knapp Street; the Sellwood Community Center, S.E. 15h and Spokane Streets (open weekdays and on Saturdays from 10 am-2 pm), and Looking Glass Bookstore, S.E. 13th at Nehalem Street. The calendar may also be purchased at Branches Card Shop, on S.E. Milwukie Avenue near the Wells Fargo Bank. The cookbook is also available by mail ($13.00 — checks made out to: SMILE), with orders mailed to the Sellwood Community Center, 1436 S.E. Spokane Street, Portland, 97202.

These Sellwood-Westmoreland merchants are lending special support by not marking up the price of these two publications. So this Holiday season, skip that drive to the mall, and support local small businesses! And among your purchases, may I suggest you help two worthy non-profit groups and enjoy your calendar and cookbook!

Following is a sample recipe from the cookbook to help you deal with the remains of your Thanksgiving dinner!