Do Good Multnomah

Dollars alone will not solve Portland's housing crisis. What really turns the gears are sustained relationships like the one we've been lucky to cultivate with the Columbia Sportswear Company these last few years.

Since 2024, Columbia Sportswear has been a key sponsor for our Annual Ruck March. Their donations go far for our programs, but what makes the difference is that they spread the word, gather a team and show up to march alongside us.

"As a veteran, it’s a privilege for me and Columbia Sportswear Company to partner with Do Good over the last several years to support the Memorial Day Ruck; honoring fallen heroes by helping address veteran houselessness in our community…never forget those who gave their all and never stop serving." —Ryan McGrory, Columbia Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

We're excited to see the team that Columbia brings for this year's Ruck — and we'd love to see you there too! All proceeds from this year's march will go toward sustaining our Veteran programming.

Memorial Day | May 25, 2026
4, 6, 12 mile routes available
Starting at 8am at the University of Portland

Register now here: https://give.dogoodmultnomah.org/event/the-2026-do-good-annual-ruck-march/e760266

“No judgements. They treat you like you’re a human being, like you’re one of them. They’re understanding about a lot of things, they’ll work with you as much possible as long as you’re willing to work with them.” — Becky, Drop-In Center participant

Meet Becky — a regular participant at the North Portland Drop-In Center in St. Johns. She first sought out services from the program last summer to get out of the heat. Staff have helped Becky get her hands on necessary documents — social security, legal support, a new ID and more.

An equally important part of her visits, however, is to have someone listen to her about the challenges she’s faced. The warmth she’s felt from staff is unlike any other shelter program she’s been to, she said.

With almost all her documents finally back in hand, Becky is nearing the finish line for her own housing. The priority: find a place comfortable for her *three* dogs!

On May 6th, 11 years ago today, Do Good Multnomah was officially approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting houseless Veterans in our community. Each year, this date offers a time to reflect on how much the scope of our services has grown and changed, as has the severity of our region’s housing crisis.

In 2015, we opened with just a single, one-room site in the basement of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downtown Portland. The idea was simple: provide a place for respite for Veterans in need. These things we now see as everyday – the idea of ‘case management,’ terms like ‘permanent supportive housing,’ and deep relationships built with partner organizations – they were unimaginable when we first started.

In the years that have followed, new programs have opened, closed and opened again. We’ve offered shelter, meals, referrals to long-term care and housing to thousands. It’s remarkable and humbling to reflect on how we’ve been able to grow to now manage over a dozen programs across our city – not to mention expand down into Clackamas and up north in Vancouver.

And in the same breath, it’s heartbreaking to see just how much our region’s housing crisis has worsened. Today, an estimated 18,000 people are experiencing houselessness in Multnomah County – the most ever recorded. It’s a crisis with multiple contributing factors that requires us to be flexible and versatile all while resources remain thin. We are all learning and working every day to solve a problem that’s never been solved before.

What makes the difference and allows us to keep finding success in this work is you all, our staff, who continue to build important relationships with our participants so that they trust us and believe in themselves to overcome challenges.

We are proud to have reached another year of service and remain excited to see how this growth will continue.

Thank you to all our partner organizations – , , , , , , , the local VA and all our fellow nonprofits who we learn from each day.