Testimonials
“It was a joy for us to come be part of your event and I was so blessed to hear more details of MEND’s specifics and plans for the future in the area of housing. We would love to be more involved in the future and will continue to look for ways to do that as a family. The level of compassionate vision and focus in our town is amazing.”
-- Tina Vandel
We've lived in the Upper Valley since 1983, and Tricia was raised here. This area is our home: our kids were born and raised here, we farm here, and we hope to live here for decades to come. We especially value the many friends and neighbors we have come to know in this community as we have shared schools, shopping, work, community events and our lives. We think a healthy community is one where these relationships are fostered, where people may live where they work, where the children raised there can return to live, and where people from all stages of life and varied income levels can find a place to call home. SHARE Community Land Trust is a key part of creating and maintaining the sort of healthy community we desire, and for that reason we have and will continue to be strong supporters."
-- Ted Alway and Tricia Ortiz
"Because Upper Valley MEND provides meaningful and necessary services to many of the residents of Leavenworth and the surrounding area, I have chosen to support their programs by making cash contributions, as well as donations of clothing and other items to the Community Cupboard. A worthy non-profit organization such as MEND depends on the pubilc's support in order to continue operating and providing services to the public."
-- Carol Hanson
"Since moving to Leavenworth in 2000 and working two doors up from the Community Cupboard, I had to check it out and found some great deals for our office--like a new coffee pot, some silverware, and even a vacuum cleaner. The variety is great and I have even found some great buys for my own home. Since the renovation of the Cupboard it is now bright and cheery and the personnel are friendly, caring, and treat everyone equally. The items they carry are clean, in working order, and reasonably priced. The Community Cupboard serves the needs of everyone, not just people who need food or other items because they do not have a job or a permanent home. The Community Cupboard is a great asset to our Community. When you purchase something from the Community Cupboard you are helping to keep dollars in our community so they can purchase food items to serve those who need it most. THANK YOU!"
-- Carol & Bill Forhan
"When we accepted a job offer in Wenatchee in 2003, one of the first things we thought about was whether it was close enough to Leavenworth to live there. I remembered passing through here years earlier and the impression the natural setting left on me. We took the job and rented a nice duplex here for a couple of hears at $800/month. That's a lot of money, but there were no houses for sale that we wanted to live in for that kind of price. One day at the Salmon Festival we saw a model of a SHARE home. It said something like "affordable, environmentally friendly passive solar design". That was enough to get my attention. At first the idea sounded like something too good to be true. SHARE encouraged us to apply and we got on the waiting list. Months later we found out we were one of the ten lucky families, and the following year we moved into our great little house! We now own a place in Leavenworth with monthly costs about what we used to pay in rent. I still wonder how we got so lucky!"
-- David Morgan & Christine Jakobsen
"This is what you guys bring into my heart everytime you greet me as I walk in MEND door. Thanks. Carry on:"
-- Theresa D-Litzenberger
"Peace is not something that’s just coming to us. Peace has to be created by us in the moment, as we move forward in our daily lives. Creating peace is similar to building a new and easier road into the future, yet we are the responsible engineers in this moment to moment building process.
Most of us have wished, prayed and waited for peace in our lives… An effective next step is to focus on individually creating the peace we want, daily.
As we practice taking responsibility for our own energies, making deeper heart connections with each other, releasing judgments and blame, and aligning our mind and emotions with our heart’s guidance while making choices---then increased peace emerges as the cumulative effect of these heart-based commitments.”
--Doc Childre
