For to come upon warblers in early May was to forget time and death.
Theodore Roethke
For patients at end of life, the Pete Moore Hospice House gardens - and the colorful, sweet birds that visit them - bring joy and peace. Thanks to a small group of dedicated volunteers and a partnership with Wild Birds Unlimited, the gardens are a bird-friendly place where a feeder hangs outside every window.
Feed the Birds at Pete Moore Hospice House
Meaningful Moments
At Pete Moore Hospice House, compassionate end-of-life care happens in an environment designed to feel warm, peaceful, and deeply human. Inside the house, families gather around the fireplace, share meals in the family kitchen, and stay close to loved ones in comfortable patient rooms.
Outside the windows, something just as meaningful is happening.
Across the hospice house grounds, 25 bird feeders — including one outside each patient room — welcome hummingbirds, chickadees, finches, and other native birds.
For many families, these small moments of beauty become an unexpected source of comfort and joy.
The Bird Lady of Pete Moore Hospice House
Those bird feeders are here largely thanks to the vision of one woman: Holly Knight, affectionately known as the “Bird Lady” of Pete Moore Hospice House.
Holly began volunteering at the hospice house in February 2024. At the time, staff did their best to maintain the aging feeders while balancing round-the-clock patient care. It wasn’t easy. Some feeders were in serious disrepair, with seed that had become moldy or begun to sprout.
Knowing some of the feeders were beyond rescue, Holly called in the professionals at Wild Birds Unlimited, a bird-centric retailer with a Eugene location in the Delta Oaks Shopping Center. After hearing about the hospice house, operations manager Dara knew right away she wanted to help. Since then, Wild Birds Unlimited has donated thousands of dollars’ worth of feeders, seed, and supplies.
The Bird Lady of Pete Moore Hospice House
Today, every patient room has a sturdy, bird-friendly feeder, and more birds than ever visit the grounds: hummingbirds, juncos, chickadees, towhees, and more finches than we can count.
Working with a small but mighty team of volunteers, Holly helps keep the feeders full, clean, and welcoming – so the colorful feathered visitors that bring patients such joy keep coming back.
This project is thriving thanks to the support of Wild Birds Unlimited, community donations, and Cascade Health – but it takes ongoing care to keep it going.
How You Can Help
Donate Wild Birds Unlimited store credit. Call the Delta Oaks store at (541) 505-9361 to donate store credit to “Holly Knight Pete Moore Hospice House.”
Purchase discounted seed and supplies. Wild Birds Unlimited offers a generous discount on supplies when you mention they are for “Holly Knight Pete Moore Hospice House.”
Volunteer. Join the small (but growing) team of volunteers who help maintain the feeders. Learn more about volunteering here or email Cascade Health Volunteer Coordinator Preeti Yonjon Feist at pfeist@cascadehealth.org.
Make a tax-deductible donation. Support the project directly by selecting “PMHH Bird Project” from the donation drop-down menu.
“More than anything, she wanted to go outside and smell the fresh air again, to see trees and birds. She was wheeled out onto the patio a couple days before she passed, lovingly wrapped in warmed-up blankets and able to take in the beauty of the sky.”
— Son of Pete Moore Hospice House patient
