Show notes
Season 2, Episode 17: Sept. 2, 2026
Length: 8:05
This week, The Big Picture looks across Oregon at ODHS staff, Employee Resource Groups and community partners who build connection by showing up where people already are — in offices, libraries, parades, festivals, food markets, parks and back-to-school events.
These stories begin with small things that mean something larger: culturally specific hair care products and LGBTQ+ books in a St. Helens office lending library; the District 1 Mobile Van rolling through a Kiwanis parade with resource home recruitment flyers; and AAMC volunteers welcoming hundreds of visitors at Good in the Hood with information, benefits resources, job opportunities and a prize wheel.
You’ll also hear how Free Food Markets in Hillsboro and Tigard have become familiar community spaces where families can receive food, diapers, books, household goods and connection without judgment. In Corvallis, office decorations, children’s activities, stuffed animals and Bartholomew the crocheted beaver help make an ODHS office feel warmer, more playful and more human before anyone even says a word.
The episode also visits long-running and new community traditions: Multnomah County’s annual Oaks Park event for resource families and children in care, and AAMC’s annual Back-to-School event, where ODHS staff, ERGs and community partners helped families receive backpacks, jackets, shoes, food and other supports for the school year.
Taken together, these stories point to something consistent: community connection does not happen on its own. It happens because people make the effort to notice what would help, create spaces that feel welcoming and build partnerships that let support reach farther than any one office could alone. It is all part of helping people in Oregon achieve well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.
This episode also recognizes Christine Decker, who wrote the original version of many of these Discover stories. While this podcast brings them to listeners in a new form, her attention, care and storytelling helped make them visible in the first place. She is a true storyteller of ODHS, and this edition of The Big Picture is possible because of her work.
CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweOriginal Discover stories by: Christine DeckerContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov
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