Mercy Corps Breaks Ground on Action Center and Global Headquarters

Portland, Oregon — Mercy Corps officially broke ground Monday on the Mercy Corps Action Center, an innovative museum and learning space that will educate visitors on global hunger and poverty issues.

The center, which will take up the ground floor of Mercy Corps' new global headquarters building, will "reflect an opportunity for us to engage all the citizens in this community to take action to build a better world," Mercy Corps CEO Neil Keny-Guyer told a crowd of about 150 supporters, partners and staff at the April 21 event.

The Action Center and the new global headquarters will be housed in the Skidmore Fountain Building, the 119-year-old building located in Portland's Old Town neighborhood. Mercy Corps hired Thomas Hacker Architects to designed the building's renovation and expansion, and selected Walsh Construction to do the work. The Action Center portion is designed by New York-based ESI Design.

As construction equipment rumbled in the background, Keny-Guyer said he hoped the Action Center and the headquarters "will be a window to the world" and "reflect the philosophy of a seamless web of compassion that connects a hurting child in Portland with children worldwide."

The Mercy Corps Action Center will advance those efforts by presenting hunger and poverty issues through interactive exhibits and partner with area social service agencies — many located within walking distance of the center — to address local hunger and poverty concerns.

The Action Center will also partner with Portland Public Schools, inviting classes to tour the center and take part in learning opportunities designed to inspire them to act.

“We created the Mercy Corps Action Center to give young people educational experiences that will build bridges of understanding, ignite their imaginations and passions to get involved, and give them tools to make a difference,” said Keny-Guyer. “It’s our way of giving back to our community and sharing our experiences and lessons learned to foster creative solutions to today’s pressing global problems.”

Both the Mercy Corps Action Center and the global headquarters will open in the summer of 2009.

photos by Joni Kabana