May 23, 2023 3:30 a.m. 

Staff with the Oregon Department of Human Services is moving its First Thursday event outdoors for the summer.

ODHS Community Partnership Coordinator Kathryn Garland said the event has grown by leaps and bounds since it began a few months ago. Garland said for summer they are hoping for a family-friendly, block party feel. A free barbecue meal will be offered to the community along with free fresh produce from Feeding Umpqua, free clothing donated by ODHS staff, a dunk tank and twenty community partner organizations offering resources.

Garland said those partners include a variety of groups including Onward Roseburg, Safe Haven Maternity Home, Peace at Home Advocacy Center, Aviva Health, the Douglas County Human Trafficking Task Force, Umpqua Valley Rainbow Collective and many more.

First Thursday will be in the parking lot of ODHS on West Harvard Avenue in Roseburg.

Call the ODHS Self Sufficiency Program office at 440-3301 for more information