Eugene Mennonites provide major assistance at Roosevelt Rest Stop

Oct. 18, 2017

The residents at the Roosevelt Safe Spot now have a kitchen, thanks in large part to the generosity and craftsmanship of Eugene Mennonite Church members and money raised from our 2017 Annual Dessert Dash.


The new kitchen was constructed a few months ago at the southwest corner of the camp. The 10 by 10-foot structure is made of sturdy aluminum tubing with plywood walls and a corrugated sloped roof. The floor, made of compacted ¾-minus gravel, is level and dry.


To say the new kitchen is an upgrade to the previous “structure” would be an understatement, to put it mildly. The old kitchen was a minimalist tarp-like shelter that was cramped, leaky, and offered little storage or cooking capacity.


“We couldn’t be happier with our new kitchen,” says Donna Jackson, resident manager of the Safe Spot. “To be able to cook and clean and have things organized is a blessing.”


The new kitchen was built primarily by a crew of skilled CSS residents during a Safe Spot work party. Members of the Mennonite Church provided funding for the project, assisted in the build, and then built and installed shelving and counter space.

The new kitchen has a double sink, with grey water drainage connected to a city sewer line.


“Having a sink that works like this is just amazing,” Donna says. “And having running water to cook and clean with, wash your vegetables, all of it, is such an improvement. We’re all very grateful.”


A large cooler, with frozen 1-gallon water jugs from the CSS shop on Grant Street, keeps refrigerated items cold.


The new kitchen has resulted in residents preparing many more group meals, Donna says. Before the kitchen was built, residents were on their own for meals, which can be very isolating and not conducive to creating a sense of community. That has all changed now.


Donna says each morning starts the way it does with many households—a big pot of coffee. And then a second pot—and sometimes more.


Group dinners are coordinated by a resident kitchen manager and include spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, hamburger helper creations, and whatever meat is available from weekly deliveries from Food for Lane County.


Mennonite Church participation in the project came after several church members took a tour of the Roosevelt camp. They liked what they saw, and asked Erik de Buhr, CSS director of programs, how they could help. Erik suggested CSS could use help with funding and construction of the kitchen, and from there a plan was hatched.


The Mennonite group secured a matching grant from Everence Credit Union, a faith-based financial services organization. The funds were used to pay the cost of the structure, shelving, fixtures, and other parts of the project.


“We really like projects like this,” says Mennonite Church member Gary Harmon. “And working with everyone at Community Supported Shelters was just amazing.”


The Mennonite crew spent time at the kitchen build getting to know the residents. They came away very impressed with the residents’ resourcefulness and their ability to adapt to the challenges of daily living.


The availability of a new kitchen, especially with the rainy and cold season approaching, certainly helps residents meet those challenges.

News & Events

To stay connected to CSS, subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. If you are a member of the media who is seeking info, contact community@cssoregon.org.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Hope in a Difficult Time

October 31, 2025
As we move deeper into fall and prepare for the cold months ahead, we want to share an update on our work and a reflection on what this season means for our community. Recent policy changes and funding reductions across Oregon are already having consequences for people experiencing homelessness. New SNAP rules are e

Turning Art Into Income

October 30, 2025
Since the inception of the CSS workforce development program in 2024, it has become clear that not everyone is interested or able to work in a traditional workplace. It can be quite the challenge to locate jobs that are part time, supportive, accessible to folks with disabilities or criminal history, to name but a few

Warming Hearts with Welcome Totes

October 29, 2025
When someone moves, they may receive housewarming gifts to celebrate their new beginning, which can help a new house or apartment start to feel like a real home. Each person who moves into a Conestoga Hut receives something akin to a "Hut-warming" gift. “A welcome tote is given to new clients when they move into a Hu

Class aims to help unhoused people learn to make and sell their own art

October 27, 2025
Linda Southwood’s handmade jewelry, she said, is a part of her. Making her beaded bracelets and necklaces from reclaimed wood has been a relaxing constant for Southwood, 52, especially after her home burned down three years ago and she struggled to find housing. She’s a graduate of a new arts entrepreneurship progra

The Future: A New Building For CSS!

July 26, 2025
Because of your support, we’re growing into something bigger—two new spaces designed to better serve our unhoused neighbors. Community Supported Shelters is in the middle of an exciting transformation. After over a decade at our Grant Street location, we’ve purchased a new building that will allow us to bring our in

The Present: CSS to Make a Big Move

July 25, 2025
“Everyone will have desks,” declares Blake Burrell, CSS Director of Community Impact, anticipating the move of most of the CSS staff and programs from 1160 Grant Street to 2870 West 10th Place, a former Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles facility. The move will take place between now and the end of 2025.

The Past: A History of Heart at 1160 Grant

July 24, 2025
Erik de Buhr fell in love with the building at 1160 Grant long before there was a Community Supported Shelters. He was involved with a group that built things out of salvaged materials (Resurrected Refuse Action Team), including huts that would turn out to be precursors to the CSS Conestoga Huts. “I’d been eyeballing t

CSS is Now Operating the Nightingale Safe Spot

July 23, 2025
In partnership with the Nightingale Board of Directors and the City of Eugene, CSS is ensuring the Nightingale Safe Spot continues to operate in South Eugene. In the month of July, CSS officially began to operate the Nightingale Safe Spot Community in South Eugene. As the organization moves its home to our new building

Donor Spotlight: Eugene REALTORS® YPN

July 22, 2025
The Eugene REALTORS® Young Professionals Network had their yearly ‘Sip of Summer’ event to raise money for Community Supported Shelters. A good time was had by all with games, a raffle, BBQ, and great networking at Alton Baker Park. This was their 5th fundraiser for CSS, and they raised $3,300 this year to Adopt-a-Hut.

Volunteer Spotlight: UO Duck Corps

July 21, 2025
This summer, we've been collaborating with UO Duck Corps, who have been giving Hut exteriors some good scrubbing. Dustin (the staff member taking the selfie), says, "It's so encouraging to see a younger generation work against stereotypes about the unhoused and have such an interest in helping their community."
Show More