In a world where aging often corresponds with losing loved ones, the Community for Positive Aging (CFPA) works to create a safe space with specialized support for senior citizens.
Located in Portland’s Hollywood District, the CFPA has been providing services to people over the age of 55 for more than 50 years.
The CFPA works to provide food to seniors in need. The center started an Asian food pantry in 2020 to support its large Asian community. Today, it serves 50 households, and the program has even expanded to include in-home visits to teach English as a second language to Asian seniors living in lower-income residences.
For John Holbrook, the meals and food pantries the CFPA offers are a great source of support as they greatly reduce the need for him to buy groceries on his own. “There is always plenty of food for everyone,” he says.
Others, such as Gail Sutton and Paul Bigler appreciate the social aspects of the CFPA. They are a part of the center’s avid knitting group, which was started after the COVID-19 pandemic. Clubs such as this are one of the ways the CFPA encourages its members to interact with one another and try something new.
Kait Skyler has enjoyed the CFPA for four years and appreciates the activities it provides, particularly noting performances from Grant High School’s top choir, the Royal Blues. Yet beyond fun experiences, the center has also given her a sense of belonging. The staff are like family to her — if she’s away for longer than usual, they seem to miss her presence.
Grant students can contribute to the CFPA through volunteering. Radha Wiley-Sood, a senior at Grant, has been volunteering at the center since her sophomore year. She was introduced to the CFPA by Grant’s College and Career Coordinator Madeleine Kokes, and stops by every Friday to socialize with the older folks. “We just talk about our own lives, and (get) to hear about people’s lives and childhood,” she says. “I’ve really just met so many people here. They all know me, and it’s really nice.”
Yet, most of the CFPA’s volunteers are over 60 years old and benefit from the center’s resources themselves. Georgine Wilkerson has been volunteering as a receptionist at the center for over a decade, but first visited 20 years ago: After her husband’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she began attending a caregiver support group held by the center for family members of those with the condition. “It gives me some purpose in life to volunteer,” she says, now 87 years old. “People are really struggling to feed themselves and get places to live. We do what we can for as many people as we can here. I think that’s very important.”
Kendra Barat, the CFPA’s volunteer program manager, interacts with more than 100 volunteers each day. “We try to build community for older adults through social and intellectual and health or wellness programming, and I think that we reach that goal every single day,” she says. Aside from volunteering, Barat says Portlanders can contribute to the CFPA’s goals by making food or monetary donations, or by simply spreading the word about the center to ensure that any senior in need can benefit from its services.
For many, the CFPA is “really a lifeline,” says Barat. “People can get isolated as they age, whether family goes away, family passes away … and so your community can rapidly dwindle,” she says. “To have a space like this that’s open five days a week for folks to come and see new friends, meet new people, engage in something that they really enjoy is critical.”
Holbrook agrees: “Coming here, I can’t define it exactly, but I feel better. The people, the events … this is a safe space and it’s always available,” he says. This sense of comfort reflects the CFPA’s role in many seniors’ lives: It acts as a second home, a source of joy and a steady support amid the struggles of aging in a society where they are often overlooked. As Skyler says, “In this country, people kind of forget about seniors.” The CFPA is actively reversing this trend by ensuring that no senior is left behind.
