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Opening Doors: Together
- The Canby Center
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
November 1, 2025 - The Canby Center News
In this season of harvest and gratitude, we’re reminded that abundance is meant to be shared. From the earliest days, God’s people practiced gleaning—a way of ensuring that no one went hungry. Landowners were instructed to harvest most of their crops but leave the edges and leftovers for those in need.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest... Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.” — Leviticus 19:9–10
“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” — Deuteronomy 24:19–22
Jesus affirmed this principle of openhanded generosity:
“Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” — Luke 6:38
Sharing our abundance reflects God’s own heart. When we give, we participate in His ongoing work of compassion and care.
At The Canby Center, our Thriving Together program lives out this ancient truth every day. We glean surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers—food that’s perfectly good but nearing its expiration date—and share it with local families who need it most.
Every family in Thriving Together contributes at least one hour of volunteer service each month and takes a finance class during their first six months.
Just like gleaners in the field, they invest effort, grow in dignity, and help one another flourish.
It’s a modern-day co-op where relationships are the currency, and where generosity multiplies hope.
That's Thriving Together.
You know the feeling when you return home from a long time away and your refrigerator is empty and the pantry is looking bare? As we reopen programs in our newly expanded facility, we need the community's help to fill our shelves!
Nearly 400 families are looking to us for healthy food, and we need your help to restock.
If you have a little extra, would you consider sharing it? As you shop this week, please pick up a case of canned goods, a big bag of rice, or any number of shelf-stable items we can add to the produce we source from local farms and suppliers. Drop off your harvest, ready to share, at The Canby Center this week.
When dropping off food donations, please use the marked entrance on SW 2nd Ave.
Construction is still active; follow the signs and be aware of your surroundings.
Need a hand unloading? Call us at 503-266-2920.
For everyone’s safety, do not enter the marked construction area that faces the street.
Parking is limited due to construction; use any available street parking. By not parking in the lot belonging to Allegro Dance Studio, you'll help us to be good neighbors!
If you prefer, you can make a financial gift to help replenish what’s needed most.
Every gift—large or small—helps fill our shelves, restore dignity, and strengthen families.
Together, we can make sure no one in our community goes without.
Gratefully,
As we fill shelves and strengthen relationships this season, our Thanksgiving Turkey Drive is underway with Cutsforth's Market! Together, we can make sure every family in our community enjoys a warm, plentiful meal.
Our goal: 250 turkeys by November 15.
Last year, a deeply-touched parent took time to share with us the impact that a turkey can make. “Thank you,” they said with a smile and a lump in their throat. “It’s great to have a turkey this year. Last year we could only afford a small rotisserie chicken. My son is going to be really happy.”
For $30, you can donate a turkey to through Cutsforth's Market in Canby. The Canby Center will do our part to ensure that every turkey shared with a local family brings hope, nourishment, and dignity.
Here’s how you can help:
Purchase a turkey at Cutsforth’s Market in Canby. Tell the cashier you’d like to buy a turkey for The Canby Center.
Give online at thecanbycenter.org/donate and select designation: “Holiday Programs.”
Give by check, with “Holiday Programs” in the memo, mailed to The Canby Center, 681 SW 2nd Ave. Canby OR 97013.
Your generosity helps fill tables and bless families this Thanksgiving. Together, we can make sure everyone has enough—and something to be thankful for.
Our walkway to the new front doors at The Canby Center is already teaming with community stories! A few guests on a special tour got a sneak peek at the custom brick installation. They were delighted to see the tangible results of our generous community. In the words of one viewer:
“There’s truly no feeling like seeing your name or chosen message as a foundational part of something you wholeheartedly support.”
A brick is a simple thing—but together, we’re paving the way for families to thrive.
One donor household purchased two bricks—one for the wife, one for the husband. Other visitors have shared how meaningful it is to recognize names of friends, neighbors, and fellow supporters as they read along the walkway.
“Each brick highlights the community-centered intention of this space,” says Mark Smith, Director of Expansion for The Canby Center. “It’s a building we designed to meet growing needs in Canby—not just for help, but for relationship to one another.”
In this way, each inscribed brick is an expression of the solid place The Canby Center offers people to steady their lives, finding hope.
You can purchase a brick on our website, choose from three sizes, and confirm your custom message today.
Every brick supports our Thriving Legacy Fund, which ensures good stewardship of our purpose-built facility. Learn more about what your gift can accomplish today and in the years ahead: www.thecanbycenter.org/brick
And don't delay; the next engraving order will be placed soon!
As we approach the end of the year, you're invited deeper into the story of what God is doing at The Canby Center.
Together, we're opening doors for families to access the resources they are worthy to receive: nourishing food, clothing, mentoring, life-strengthening classes, and meaningful opportunities to serve others.
We could all use a reminder of what we can do—what doors we can open—together. So this month, 760,500+ drivers through Canby on 99E get to see firsthand the joy that comes from opening doors: together.
"When families receive the support they need, it transforms more than their day—it transforms their future," says Whitney Govert, Director of Development for The Canby Center.
"Our donors make it possible for children to come to school ready to learn. Parents are gaining tools!
And as a mom of three, I love to see how a whole community can flourish together."
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more messages of hope and belonging, plus practical ways our community can experience the joy of togetherness before the year’s end.
The needs of many are rising as federal dollars that support other resource avenues are in short supply.
Whitney reminds us, "Every gift brings dignity and new possibilities into the lives of families who come to The Canby Center.” This season, you're invited join us in opening doors for Canby families:
Follow our posts on Facebook and Instagram, engage in the comments, and share our stories!
Consider making a gift to support this work today: www.thecanbycenter.org/donate.
Every day brings us closer to the reopening of our expanded facility at 681 SW 2nd Ave., here in Canby. Celebrate the progress in this time-lapse video!
Services at 681 SW 2nd Ave. will gradually restart as the new facility's systems are brought together. We are accepting food donations on a walk-up bases. Please use the marked entrance on 2nd along the fence-line shared with Allegro Dance Studio; follow the signs and be aware of your surroundings. For everyone’s safety, do not enter the marked construction area that faces the street.
The Canby Center's staff are working and ready to serve you! Call us at 503-266-2920 or connect with us online.
Parking is limited due to construction; use any available street parking. By not parking in the lot belonging to Allegro Dance Studio, you'll help us to be good neighbors!
Our mailing address is still active during construction. We have worked with the postal service to ensure continued delivery of our mail at this time. If you encounter any issues with mailing your donation or other communications, please contact hannah@thecanbycenter.org
We are delighted to share that The Canby Center has received a $10,000 grant from the Austin Family Foundation to support our programs—directly advancing children’s education and food security in our community.
This award beautifully reflects the Foundation’s mission: “We believe that strong communities depend on people having productive and meaningful lives. When people are given the tools they need to thrive, they develop a strong sense of self-worth, are motivated to succeed, and are empowered to improve their own lives and the lives of others.”
By funding literacy support and nutritious weekend meals for local children, the Austin Family Foundation is helping build the very opportunities it envisions.
Through our Reading Mentors program, students meet one-on-one each week with volunteer mentors, developing a love of reading and gaining confidence in school. Each student also takes home a new book every month—building skills and joy that last.
Backpack Buddies provides nutritious food packs to more than 300 children for the weekends, when school meals aren’t available, ensuring they return to class on Monday ready to learn.
Together, these programs touch 365 children and their families, giving them both the tools and the encouragement to thrive. We are grateful to the Austin Family Foundation for investing in Canby’s future and helping remove barriers to education and nourishment for the students we are blessed to serve.
If you would like to join in supporting children’s food and education, we invite you to
become a monthly supporter of The Canby Center's work—strengthening youth and families in our community.
Learn more about the Austin Family Foundation’s work at austinfamilyfoundation.com.
The Canby Center is hiring! We're inviting a creative leader to join them team and usher in a unified communications strategy for The Canby Center’s future.
The Director of Communications will shape and share the story of our impact with a growing community of families, volunteers, and supporters.
Learn more and view the full job description at www.thecanbycenter.org/employment
Please join us in prayer and also share this opportunity with your personal and professional networks so we can connect with the creative leader God is preparing for this role!
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