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Opening Doors: Love Your Neighbor
- Feb 13
- 5 min read
February ushers us into a season of connection, compassion, and intentional care for one another. At The Canby Center, we believe that every person’s story matters and that genuine community is built not by standing alone but by walking alongside one another. In all that we do, our work reflects a commitment to seeing and loving the individuals right in front of us.
The idea to Love Your Neighbor reminds us that caring for one another is not just a kind sentiment but a daily practice. It’s in welcoming someone with a friendly smile, filling the Market shelves so a family can prepare dinner together, offering prayer to a member we see weekly, or speaking encouragement over a student during a tutoring session. This is the practical and present love that lives at the heart of who we are.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” John 13:34
Rooted in Christ’s words, we are reminded that loving our neighbors is both our calling and our example. Jesus’ love is active, sacrificial, and personal, always moving toward people, meeting them in their circumstances, and restoring hope. In the same way, we seek to love not from a distance, but up close and with intention. When we choose patience over hurry, generosity over scarcity, and compassion over indifference, we reflect the love we have first received.
As we move through this month, may we be inspired not only to recognize the needs around us but to respond with open hearts and willing hands, inviting every neighbor into a community where dignity, belonging, and hope flourish.
Why Monthly Support Matters
Each week, more than 350 families partner with The Canby Center for fresh food and encouragement. Behind every reusable bag and shopping cart is a story of resilience and a desire for connection. And every single week, the cost of those essential staples lands directly on our budget. Partner with us to help love our neighbors in abundance!
Set up your recurring gift today: https://www.thecanbycenter.org/donate
If you are already supporting our work with a monthly gift, thank you so much! Your faithfulness ensures we can reliably purchase these essential items at cost, keeping our Market stocked with what families depend on. Your gift doesn’t solely fill a pantry—you're opening doors to dignity, stability, and possibility.
If you find yourself blessed with abundance, would you consider increasing your monthly contribution? To increase your recurring gift today contact our team: info@thecanbycenter.org
A Hand Up: Not a Hand Out
We are grateful to Medical Teams International (MTI) for rolling into our community a couple of weeks ago with care and compassion, bringing not just dental services, but respect, comfort, and renewed confidence to every smile. MTI’s cheerful team was able to meet with seven patients, providing extractions and/or fillings, completely free of charge for all. Their service truly embodied the spirit of Love Your Neighbor, and we are thankful for the way they cared for each guest who came through their door.
Thank you Medical Teams International!
We’re also excited to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Rotary Club of Canby for generously packaging lunches for our Backpack Buddies program. In doing so throughout the past month, they’ve been able to provide lunches for students over the weekend when school meals aren’t available. This kind of partnership reflects our shared commitment to renewing dignity and meeting our neighbors exactly where they’re at.
Thank you Rotary Club of Canby!
In Step With Service: Volunteer Appreciation
Joy filled the air as we gathered for Volunteer Appreciation Bingo Night! This evening was all about celebrating our volunteers, whose steady compassion and hard work help the mission of The Canby Center possible in countless ways.
From the first number called to the final round, the room was filled with energy and gratitude. We are so thankful for each volunteer who steps in with willing hands and open hearts — what an honor it is to serve alongside our community members.
Looking for ways to Love Your Neighbor in 2026? Volunteers of all ages and abilities find special satisfaction opening doors with us!
Learn more and sign up today for a volunteer experience: www.thecanbycenter.org/volunteer
We're In This Together: 2025 Annual Report
Our Annual Report for 2025 is here! Together, we’ve been Opening Doors by loving our neighbors in tangible ways—welcoming families into new spaces for food, learning, and dignity as The Canby Center grows. Step inside the stories and milestones of 2025 to see how your partnership is turning open doors into lasting change.
In Step With Staff: We're Hiring
Loving our neighbors well starts with building the right team — come be part of it! If you share our vision for dignity-centered, relational solutions, you're invited to explore these open positions.
Please join us in prayer as we seek the right people for these two roles. And consider sharing these opportunities with your personal and professional networks as we seek the leaders God is preparing for this work. Thank you!
Hiring: Guest Services Coordinator
This position serves as a primary point of welcome for all who connect with The Canby Center, creating safe, dignified first experiences for guests, volunteers, and donors. The role oversees lobby, reception, and hospitality operations—from front desk engagement to food, clothing, meals, showers, and laundry—while empowering volunteers and helping craft the next best “yes” for families facing challenging situations.
Hiring: Family Programs Coordinator
Oversees programs that strengthen families, including Quest Youth & Family Mentoring, Family Strengthening Classes, and seasonal family events. The role works closely with the school district, churches, and partner agencies to deepen impact.
Hiring: Thriving Together Coordinator
Oversees all aspects of the Thriving Together program, serving 300+ members. Responsibilities include intake and orientation, member care, financial classes, participant compliance, and ensuring a dignified shopping experience—while upholding TCC’s mission, vision, and values.
Learn more and view full job descriptions at www.thecanbycenter.org/employment.
Building For Tomorrow: Fresh Provision
At The Canby Center, helping to provide food for our neighbors has always meant more than meeting a need, and rather honoring dignity, choice, and a community. Our new Market space reflects that commitment by creating an environment where families can shop for groceries throughout the week within consistent cohorts, selecting healthy options that fit their lives. This space isn’t about receiving what’s given; it’s about being empowered to choose, reinforcing the worth and agency of every member who walks through the doors.
The Market is also home to Backpack Buddies, where meals for children are packed to sustain food-insecure students over the weekends. Together, these efforts ensure families and children have reliable access to nourishment while experiencing care that is thoughtful, respectful, and steady.
Ultimately, what sets this space apart is the community that’s forming within it: love for neighbors.
Families shopping in the same weekly groups share smiles that lighten the load of life.
Volunteers serve with consistency so that conversations can deepen into prayer opportunities.
Friendships take root as we offer a hand to one another
In this shared space, providing has surpassed its most basic intent, becoming a space where neighbors know and support one another.
Will You Join Us as a Monthly Partner?
When you become a monthly supporter, you join a circle of people committed to strengthening the wellbeing of youth and families right here in Canby. You provide a hand up in moments when it matters most. And you become part of the shared story we tell every time a family walks into the Market: You are not alone. We’re in this together.
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