Project HOME’s Potlatch Brings Community and Celebration to Life
There is a moment, just before the music rises and laughter settles into a steady rhythm, when a room full of people begins to feel like something more than a gathering. At Project HOME’s recent potlatch, that moment arrived quietly, then all at once. It lived in the smiles exchanged across tables, in the sound of voices lifting together, and in the unmistakable feeling that no one in the room was alone.
Rooted in tradition, a potlatch is more than a celebration. According to historical accounts of Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest, a potlatch is a ceremonial gathering centered on giving, sharing, and strengthening communal bonds. It is a practice grounded in generosity and connection, where the act of coming together holds as much meaning as anything exchanged. At Project HOME, that spirit is carried forward in a way that feels both timeless and deeply personal.
For residents like Maureen, the experience is simple to describe, yet impossible to fully capture without being there. “Happy-go-lucky. Fun, exciting, always, prizes. Everybody loves each other, and I can feel I love here,” she shared, her words reflecting a sense of belonging that extends far beyond a single afternoon. Though Maureen is no longer a resident, having moved after her time at Joyce’s Place, her connection to the community remains unshaken. She returns not out of obligation, but out of gratitude.
That gratitude is ingrained in every part of her story. Project HOME, she says, helped change her life “to the best,” offering not just stability, but a renewed sense of purpose. Now, she carries that forward. “I like to give back now that they give them to me,” she explained, embodying the very essence of a potlatch, where generosity flows in a continuous cycle.
Across the room, Anthony brings that same spirit to life in his own way, often with a microphone in hand and a song ready to share. As a resident of JBJ Soul Homes, he has attended more potlatches than he can count, each one an opportunity to uplift others. “I try to come out and just help feel the room, bring the joy, make people happy,” he said.
For Anthony, the impact of the event runs deeper than surface-level entertainment. It is about healing. “It gives you an opportunity to realize that whatever situation you’re in, you’re not alone,” he explained. “You can release the tensions, relieve the stress, talk to someone, get to know a few people.” In a space where vulnerability is met with understanding, even small interactions can open the door to something larger.
That is the quiet power of Potlatch. It creates space for joy, yes, but also for connection, for reflection, and for growth. Residents and staff come together not as individuals defined by their past, but as a community moving forward together one step at a time. Whether it is through shared meals, music, games, or simple conversation, each moment embodies a chance to build relationships that last far beyond the event itself.
For many, those connections can be life-changing. They are the reason someone shows up again. The reason someone feels seen. The reason someone believes, perhaps for the first time in a long time, that they belong.
Maureen still carries that feeling with her. Even after moving on, she knows she will always have a place within the Project HOME community. “Without them, I [would’ve] never survived,” she said, her voice steady with emotion. It is a statement that speaks not only to her journey, but to the mission that drives every gathering like this one.
As the community backspace at Christopher J. Seward Residence fills with music once more, as voices rise and laughter follows, the purpose of the potlatch becomes clear. It's more than a gathering; it’s a reminder that community is not something you pass through. It is something you carry with you that builds over time, and something that, once found, never truly leaves you behind.
