A look at the new ‘Meals on Wheels’ center on SE 82nd

The building which, decades ago, housed a carwash, and then for decades was a “Color Tile” store – across from Eastport Plaza, at 4035 S.E. 82nd Avenue of Roses – is now well on its way to becoming the new “Meals on Wheels People Eastside Center”.

This new center is also now connected to a warehouse-like structure directly to the north of it, which was once the Gary’s Organ Center store.

Some two dozen supporters of the nonprofit organization learned about the history of the building, and the new plans for it to benefit home-based senior citizens, at a luncheon meeting in the new facility on Wednesday, June 26.

Meals on Wheels People CEO Suzanne Washington explained why this was the location chosen for the new facility: “This provides better access to the whole east side of Portland. It’s on a good bus line, and there are good distribution transportation connections.

“And, there a lot of minority populations who live in this area,” Washington added.

Constructed in three phases

“These connected buildings will be remodeled over three phases,” Washington told THE BEE. “Today, we’re celebrating Phase One – the completion of our drive-in refrigerator and freezer units, where we’ll be able to store about 50,000 frozen meals for emergencies anywhere in our entire Eastside Hub.”

“Phase Two, now under construction, will be our ‘Service Site’ – providing a dining and services area for older folks, as well as our Meals for Kids program; and it will hopefully be open by the start of August,” Washington continued. “Then, moving forward to Phase Three, we will be building out the north end of the building for a commercial kitchen area – and for an event space upstairs.”

“We’re doing this because we learned during the pandemic to be better prepared for emergencies,” Washington said. “We currently have 45,000 meals in a [rented] freezer in Clackamas; we want to get them over here into our own building, so we have ready access to the food – which, as well, will also reduce our storage costs.

“So, this prepares us for the future,” Washington summarized. “Our Eastside Hub also will be a good environmental steward, because we will be able to get rid of one of our big diesel trucks, once this center becomes operational.

“At the heart of it, everything we do is for those we serve – to make sure that they have access to food.”