Eat Ice Cream To Fight Youth Homelessness In Portland

PORTLAND, OR — When it comes to the myriad ways you can support local nonprofits, eating ice cream isn't a bad deal.

In support of preventing and intervening in youth homelessness, and in celebration of Ben & Jerry's National Free Cone Day, Portland-based nonprofit New Avenues for Youth will host its eighth annual Scoop-a-Thon from 12 to 8 p.m. April 10 at its two Ben & Jerry's scoop shops in Portland.

Operated exclusively by youth employees (save for management), the New Avenues for Youth scoop shops are "social purpose enterprises," according to the nonprofit's spokeswoman Angela Pratt, which noted New Avenues as the only nonprofit in the country to own and operate two Ben & Jerry's PartnerShops.

"They are expressly for providing work experience and job training to youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness," Pratt told Patch Monday. "All profits go back into running the shop and New Avenues for Youth’s programs."

So, while the scoop-a-thon will offer free ice cream to visitors, the nonprofit will still accept donations to help fund its mission.

"Our mission is really to prevent and end youth homelessness, and we do that by providing a variety of services including counseling, housing, education and job training," Pratt said. "The Scoop-A-Thon is an opportunity for the organization’s supporters to scoop free ice cream alongside youth employed at these two PartnerShops and commit to raising awareness and funds for New Avenues for Youth’s programs and services."

The participating Ben & Jerry's scoop shops are located at 510 S.W. Mill St. and 524 S.W. Yamhill St. in downtown Portland.

"The youth we serve face a lot of challenges and barriers to successful employment — unstable housing, inconsistent access to transportation, (and) little to no experience in the workforce," Pratt said. "In order for young people to be self-sufficient and independent, they need jobs and we provide a safe and supportive environment for them to learn the skills they need to succeed."

If you're unable to make it to either location for the scoop-a-thon, or if ice cream just isn't your thing but you still want to donate, visit scoopathon.org.

And for more information about New Avenues for Youth and its mission, visit newavenues.org.

This post was updated to include comments from New Avenues for Youth.

Image via Kate33/ShutterStock