December is the season of creative giving and good times spent with friends and family. Remember, Portland is full of community resources —and resourceful ways — to give and make meaningful moments.
Make memories
Give a fun outing to ZooLights for kiddos who already have a full toy box.
Families with kids may like a membership to the zoo, OMSI, children’s museum, or tickets to a play, movie or a sports event. While gifts of experience can be a tough sell to little kids, you can help make it fun in the moment too.
Borrow
Help dad clean the gutters with an extension ladder borrowed from a tool library.
Tool libraries are available to residents of East Portland, North Portland, Northeast Portland, and Southeast Portland. Become a member of a tool library near you! Gift a family member or neighbor time — yours! — to help with a house project.
Fix it
Repair a favorite old lamp for mom at a repair café.
Repair PDX hosts monthly free repair events that bring volunteers who like to fix things together with people who have broken items that need fixing. Help spread repair culture through the repair movement!
Try resale
Find a gently used party dress!
Portland has a thriving reuse and thrift shop market for not only clothing, but also household goods, electronics, furniture, art supplies and building materials.
Check out the Resourceful PDX map for lending libraries, donation centers, resale, repair and swap shops.