Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Graham.
Hi Kaylee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a born-and-raised Oregonian who grew up in Florence on the Central Oregon coast. I was raised in a civic-minded family and taught the importance of giving from a young age. My parents, who were both teachers, always encouraged me to give what I could, when I could. They explained to me that life can take you in many different directions, and someday I might be the one needing assistance. That lesson has propelled me through my life, and from a young age, my brother and I grew up doing service projects like having lemonade stands to raise money for Relay for Life or buying toys for the Soroptimist Toy Drive.
My first individual project came to fruition after attending a PTA meeting with my mom. At the meeting, a guest speaker was talking about the foster care system, and I learned that many children taken into foster care don’t have time to pack their personal belongings. I wanted to do something to help. That summer, as a 10-year-old, I decided to have a garage sale to raise money. After collecting items from my own room, my parents drove me to other garage sales where I asked the owners to donate their leftovers to my sale. I ended up raising $2,000, and with that money, I shopped deals, wrote letters to managers, and asked for donations. I was able to create and fill 150 “Buddy Backpacks” with blankets, stuffed animals, personal hygiene items, and more. The feeling I had after completing my own successful project was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and I wanted to share that with others.
Shortly after, at age 11, I came to my parents with a new idea. I wanted to have a week-long volunteer camp at my house. My parents loved the idea but thought it would be too much. They told me I could do one day and invite as many people as I wanted. Persistent as I was, I told them that I was going to invite the entire town. Not long after, I spoke to the Florence City Council and asked them to approve a citywide day dedicated to volunteering and giving back. They approved the idea, and the first-ever Power of Florence occurred that summer. Now an officially proclaimed citywide day, the Power of Florence is going into its 17th year. While I am no longer directly involved, I personally ran the day for 7 years. In my time, over $55,000 was raised for nonprofits and causes around the community, over 17,600 pounds of food was collected for our local food share and Humane Society, 91 service projects were completed, and well over 7,000 people participated in making the community a better place.
Still fueled by my passion for giving, it was during my senior year of high school that I got another chance to share my love for volunteering. While serving as the President of the Interact Club, I came up with the idea to have a youth club aimed at promoting kindness and volunteerism. I created Kindness Club, running monthly meetings for over 20 kids, organizing weekend service projects and field trips, and encouraging students to create their own projects. Shortly after I graduated from high school and went on to college. After 4 years, I graduated from Oregon State University summa cum laude with a degree in Speech Communication and a minor in Earth Science. Taking some time for myself, I spent a year abroad in Costa Rica and Japan following graduation. I moved back to Oregon in September of 2023, settling in Bend and getting a seasonal job while looking for opportunities to pursue my career goal of working in a nonprofit.
As it happened a few months into my seasonal job, a mutual friend who had been working at St. Vincent de Paul – Bend told me about an opening for the Pantry Manager role. I eagerly applied and was hired as the Pantry Manager shortly after. About 6 months into my employment, there was a large leadership transition, and the Executive Director position became available. The board approached me about filling the role, and after talking for some time to think about it, I graciously accepted. I have now been at the organization for 2.5 years. I love that every day I can go home knowing I made a small difference in helping those we serve, and I look forward to seeing what may be ahead.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Anyone who knows nonprofits knows that it’s never a smooth road. Besides normal things like refrigerators going out, leaking pipes, and our box truck needing to be replaced, the current state of the world has affected us in many ways. In early March, the USDA halted two of its food relief programs in response to executive orders. As a USDA-designated food pantry, we depend on this support to provide essential items like meat, produce, cheese, and milk, staples that help many families in need. This pause resulted in a 26% decrease in our overall food supply that lasted for months.
As if that wasn’t enough, cuts to SNAP (food stamps) benefits included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” have exacerbated the problem. These cuts created the biggest reductions in history. In addition to implementing unfair work requirements and requiring burdensome paperwork, cuts have already left many of our visitors with little or no money left to spend. SNAP is a lifeline for many in our community. It creates choice and gives individuals options beyond what they may be able to find on a pantry shelf.
As a result of these challenges, as well as the increasingly expensive cost of living (both in general and on a local scale), we have noticed a 30% increase in first-time clients. Operating one of the largest food pantries in Central Oregon with a staff of 4 is no easy feat, but especially now as the need continues to rise. On average, we serve well over 4,000 clients each month through our food, assistance, shelter, and housing programs, and that number only continues to rise.
However, our story is not unique, and we are not the only ones struggling. Due to other federal funding cuts, increased competition for grants has made obtaining funding that much more challenging. It often feels like we are in competition with other agencies for grants and donors, not because we want to, but because we have to.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I like to tell people that at St. Vincent de Paul – Bend we do food and housing, although our services are a lot more expansive than that. In addition to operating one of the largest food pantries in Central Oregon, offering grocery shopping and sack lunches to anyone in need, we have a variety of other support services.
Out of our office, we offer thrift store vouchers, clothing and household items, mail pick-up, prescription support, Pacific Power assistance, identification, driver’s licence and birth certificate assistance, as well as seasonal propane. Our thrift store vouchers provide individuals who may be preparing for a job interview, looking for school clothes, or moving into a new place with the flexibility to pick items they may not normally have the budget for. We also provide prescription assistance because we think no one should ever have to worry about securing food or medication. Our identification, driver’s licence, and birth certificate programs ensure that people don’t have to face more barriers when it comes to finding employment. Offering our office as a safe place to send general mail provides individuals without an address with an easy location to ship things, so they have one less thing to worry about. Finally, our propane and Pacific Power assistance help to ensure people have the heat they need to live and cook during some of the coldest times of the year.
In addition to our array of support services, we own and rent 13 low-income rentals that are situated on our property. These units range in rent from around $800 to $1,500. Utilities are 100% included, and residents can stay as long as they like. As of 2022, we also run St. Vincent’s Place, a high-barrier shelter aimed at supporting people on their path to permanent housing. We have 10 single-dwelling units equipped with a bed, desk, and shelving. In addition, we have community building with shared kitchen, laundry, and bathroom facilities. Residents can stay up to two years and contribute by doing chores and participating in our matching savings program. When residents save $3,000, we will match that so they have $6,000 to pay towards first and last month’s rent, security deposit, or ongoing rent. This helps break down one of the biggest challenges people face when exiting homelessness.
St. Vincent de Paul is proud to be a community resource that does so much. We are continuously working to expand our programs and serve the community in better ways.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that no matter how much you prepare or how hard you work, someday you may need to ask for assistance. I have met so many people who never thought they would be walking through our door, but an unexpected medical bill, fraud, unemployment, disability, and an array of many other unforeseen circumstances have led them exactly here.
As humans, we often have a tendency to judge people based on looks, and every so often a volunteer will comment saying something like “Did you see that nice car they were driving?” but the fact is you can never fully know what is going on in someone’s life. Perhaps they are borrowing the car; maybe they have been unable to make their payments, and it’s about to be taken away; perhaps they are fleeing a domestic violence situation or 100 other circumstances. This work teaches you that you should never judge a book by its cover. The best thing you can do is show up, listen to people, and support them the best you can.
Pricing:
- Free
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stvincentdepaulbend.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stvincentbend/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SVdPBend/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/t2r7Xd4Hvko?si=dDdAWrzgd3zY62JU
