(NeighborImpact staff and Warm Springs partners unload diapers and other essential supplies for families affected by the Bench and Beachcomb fires | Photo courtesy of NeighborImpact)
Marked for Love, known locally as Every Child Central Oregon, has joined NeighborImpact and will continue its work as part of the agency’s new Supportive Services department.
The transition brings together two organizations with a long history of partnership and a shared commitment to helping children and families remain safe, stable and supported. Marked for Love’s staff, services, warehouse operations and relationships with families and community partners remain in place, now supported by NeighborImpact’s broader infrastructure and resources.
Supportive Services will continue the diaper bank, warehouse operations and direct support for children and families involved in foster care. The department also includes Family Support and Connections, which helps families address economic barriers and avoid deeper involvement with the child welfare system. Supportive Services also administers NeighborImpact’s Medicaid-funded Health-Related Social Needs program, connecting eligible individuals and families with housing, food and other supports that improve health and prevent more costly interventions. To date, HRSN has helped 546 clients access nearly $1.5 million in support.
Lovemark continues to lead the work as Supportive Services director. “This transition protects the relationships and services our partners already know while giving the program a stronger foundation,” Lovemark said. “The work continues, but the team now has more capacity to support families, coordinate resources and respond when community needs arise.”
This week, those longstanding relationships helped Supportive Services quickly deliver essential supplies to families affected by the Bench and Beachcomb fires in Warm Springs.
After learning that a longtime child welfare partner was under a Level 3 evacuation notice, Supportive Services Director Melissa Lovemark reached out to ask what families needed. The team delivered children’s clothing, diapers, wipes, portable baths and Pack ’n Plays to the Warm Springs Child Protective Services office, where staff could distribute the items directly to families being served by child welfare. A second delivery provided diapers for families staying at an evacuation shelter. The NeighborImpact Food Bank also donated and delivered five pallets of water to Warm Springs.
“Much of this work happens quietly because it is built on relationships developed over years,” Lovemark said. “When partners tell the team that families need clothing, diapers or a safe place for a baby to sleep, the response does not need to be complicated. The team looks at what is available and gets it where it needs to go.”
The response reflects the practical, relationship-driven support that will continue through Supportive Services. The department works closely with child welfare staff and other community partners to provide car seats, clothing, furniture, hygiene supplies and other essentials that help families care safely for children and address immediate barriers to stability.
“The strength of this work has always been in the relationships and the ability to respond quickly to what individuals and families actually need,” said NeighborImpact Executive Director Scott Cooper. “As part of NeighborImpact, Supportive Services can continue that approach with the added infrastructure and resources of the larger organization.”
More information about NeighborImpact Supportive Services can be found at neighborimpact.org/supportive-services.
About NeighborImpact:
NeighborImpact is a private nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Central Oregon since 1985. The organization supports people and strengthens communities through programs that address food security, housing, energy assistance, early childhood education, child care resources, financial empowerment and supportive services. NeighborImpact primarily serves Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, with select services available in additional Oregon communities.
