Emerald Adventist Community Center is a mission that strives to provide warm clothing, small household goods, bedding, special needs referrals, and spiritual materials at no charge to people in need.  Because the Community Center operates solely under the auspices of the Eugene Seventh-day Adventist Church and has no state or local government affiliation, it is free from the geographical constraints of the Emerald Food Pantry and is thus able to offer service to all areas of our community.

Most goods distributed by the Community Center come from anonymous donations in kind which appear almost weekly. Some goods are purchased from thrift stores run by other non-profit organizations. Money for these purchases comes from cash donations or from fundraising.

Emerald Community Center is staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers each of whom contributes six to eight hours per week interviewing clients or laundering, mending, ironing and dispensing clothing and personal care items such as soap or shampoo.  Over the years, the tradition of quilting has been continued by the Center volunteers, with the result that each of the many layettes put together by staff members contains an infant sized, hand blocked quilt. Many quilts, also created and sewn by staff members, are given away to those in need of standard bedding. Some quilts are sold, and the revenue is used to buy sleeping bags for the homeless, who cannot conveniently make use of individual sheets and blankets.

All clients are interviewed prior to being served.  Data collected includes name, address, Social Security Number, annual income, number of dependent children, food stamp eligibility status, and a list of requested items. Distribution is limited to one item of each type for each person, unless special circumstances are cited. Distributed items are recorded under the name of each recipient in order to promote the widest and most equitable distribution of goods possible. Clients are allowed one visit per month. The Center serves approximately fifty families per month.

Emerald Adventist Community Center, located at 90 Lawrence, is open each Tuesday from Labor Day to Memorial Day, except for the Tuesdays before and after Christmas. Hours are 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, and 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM. The Center is closed for lunch from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.

Volunteers are welcome to join the Community Center family, and are invited to make their interest known by contacting Virginia Williams