ABOUT US
OVER 10,000
STUDENTS HAVE BEEN
POSITIVELY IMPACTED
BY THE GRAUER PROJECT
THE GRAUER PROJECT
"The Grauer Project is a volunteer, nonprofit cooperative partnership of faith organizations, social service agencies, and businesses created to respond to the back-to-school needs of children in Southwest Portland who are eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program."
Each year our goal is to provide these children with new backpacks filled with school supplies, winter coats, shoes, socks, and tee-shirts for the school year. The project began in 2002 and now serves hundreds of children each year. The Grauer Project serves students in the Ida B. Wells High School cluster attending kindergarten through high school, but most students are in elementary school. Students who are eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program also participate. We warmly welcome students that represent a diverse range of racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
WHY WE STARTED
In 2002, the Grauer Project was created in memoriam of Grace and Marion Grauer.
Grace Grauer learned the spirit of giving as a child of the Great Depression. Her parents ran a store in Lafayette, Oregon, where a pot of soup simmered at the back of the stove, providing a hearty meal to hungry neighbors and travelers passing through.
Grace was described as “the ultimate volunteer.” She and Marion were married for 52 years. Their lives were full of family, friends, work, and giving to their community.
Grace and Marion lived in Southwest Portland from 1969 until their death in a car accident in 1998. After their death, a bequest was made to St. Luke Lutheran Church in their memory. At the request of the Grauer children, the bequest created the foundation for this event.