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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2021)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK How much have homes gone up? Home values up 18.9% in Marion and 24.4% Polk counties Sean Lahman USA TODAY NETWORK The median sales price for a single- family home in Marion County during July was $390,000. That’s an increase of 18.9% compared with July 2020, ac- cording to data from Realtor.com. The number of houses sold fell by 1.2% from a year earlier. A total of 505 houses were sold county-wide during the month of July. During the same pe- riod a year earlier, 511 single-family homes were sold. The median sales price for a single- family home in Polk County during July was $420,375. That’s an increase of 24.4% compared with July 2020, according to Realtor.com. The number of houses sold fell by 1.4% from a year earlier. A total of 142 houses were sold county-wide during the month of July. During the same pe- riod a year earlier, 144 single-family homes were sold. Real estate sales can take weeks or months to be recorded and collected. This is the latest data made available through the National Association of Realtors to the USA TODAY Network. Also in Marion County, condomini- ums and townhomes sold in July had a median sales price of $160,000. That figure represents a 15.3% decrease See HOME VALUES, Page 4A FEEDING THE FARMWORKERS Several sold and for sale signs line the streets of a new housing development on in Salem. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL Events to be held for World AIDS Day Natalie Pate Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Volunteers Art Mendez, left, and Rick Paradis sort produce at Aware Food Bank in Woodburn . The food bank developed a farmworker outreach program in 2019. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL They keep Oregonians fed, but struggle to put food on own tables Dora Totoian Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK The first time the workers from Mano a Mano Family Center ventured to a Polk County labor camp to deliver food boxes to farmworkers, one man declined and wanted nothing to do with the organization. h However, a few visits later, he shared with them how his negative experience applying for federal food benefits dissuaded him from accepting help, and how the nonprofit’s food distribution program to farmworkers changed his outlook. Mano a Mano, a Mid-Valley organization that supports Latino families, is one of several nonprof- its in the area addressing food insecurity among ag- ricultural workers. While their work puts food on tables across the nation, farmworkers’ low wages, long work hours without overtime pay and often rural locations can make it challenging for them to feed their own fam- ilies. And some workers’ exclusion from or hesitation to access most federal government benefits can compound that food insecurity. “Even though people are cultivating the food we all eat, they can’t afford the same foods them- selves,” Ana Peña, a community health worker at Mano a Mano, said. Struggles to access food The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines “food security” as access to enough food at all times for an active, healthy life. In 2020, 10.5% of all U.S. households were food insecure, according to the USDA. Regional studies in California, North Carolina and other states have found that about 45% of farmworkers interviewed are food insecure at vari- ous points of the year. Stephanie Grutzmacher, an Oregon State Uni- versity professor who studies food insecurity, said the USDA’s definition and scale for measuring food Since the first cases were reported more than 35 years ago, 78 million people have become in- fected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses, according to the United Nations program UNAIDS. Statewide, there are about 8,000 people with HIV or AIDS, including about 450 in Marion County and 75 in Polk County, according to avail- able Oregon Health Authority data. For 33 years, World AIDS Day has served to bring greater awareness to HIV, as well as com- memorate those affected by the disease. It's now regarded as the longest-running disease aware- ness initiative of its kind in the history of public health. The Monmouth/Independence Pride Planning Committee will hold a commemoration event for World AIDS Day at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Pacific Room at the Werner University Center at Western Oregon University. Besides acknowledging the tragic loss of loved ones and friends, one of the reasons for the event is to educate community members about AIDS and how it impacts everyone in local communi- ties, organizers said in a news release. The hour-long commemoration will include a welcome from representatives from Monmouth and Western Oregon University, as well as musi- cal performances and a keynote address by Jason Dorsette, associate director for strategic commu- nication at Oregon State University. The Pride Planning Committee is also sponsor- ing an essay contest for local Central School Dis- trict students with a cash prize for the top two en- tries, according to the release. Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Kubista will in- troduce the winners of the essay contest and they will read their essays at the commemoration. In addition to the commemoration event, Western is hosting several panels of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt. Western is one of three sites in the Pacific Northwest to display the quilt and the only site in Oregon. The quilt will be on display at the Werner Uni- versity Center in the Willamette Room at these times: h Dec. 1: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. h h Dec. 2: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Werner University Center is located on campus at 400 Monmouth Ave. N in Monmouth. To request disability-related accommodations to participate, notify Western's disability ser- vices department at 503-838-8250 or ods@wou.edu at least three business days in ad- vance. Contact reporter Natalie Pate at npate@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6745, Twitter @NataliePateGwin, or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist. See FOOD, Page 4A The best thing about 2021 There's no question 2021 was rough. We've had a historic ice storm, record-breaking summer temper- atures and another 12 months of COVID-19. But we know some pretty great things happened, too, and we'd like to end the year by sharing some of those joyful stories. To do that, we need your help. Tell us about the best thing that happened to you this year. Email a few paragraphs, a photo and your full name to senior news editor Alia Beard Rau at arau@gannett.com by Wednesday, Dec. 15. We'll share the stories online and in the paper Sunday, Jan. 2. Vol. 140, No. 50 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y Serenity Rico, left, and Jalayah Francisco, right, 5th graders from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, use chalk to write the names of those who have died from AIDS on the sidewalk of Castro Street on Dec. 1, 2015, in San Francisco. The event was called Inscribe on World AIDS Day. ERIC RISBERG/AP