The Nugget
Vol. XLIII No. 14
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
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Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Food pantry gets hand from law enforcement Officers
investigate
dog bite
on trail
By Cody Rheault
Correspondent
The clamor of brown
paper bags being filled with
edible goods echos through-
out the Bread of Life food
pantry at the New Hope
Christian Center in Sisters. A
team of volunteers fills 200
bags full of dried goods, fresh
produce, and essentials to be
handed out to local families
during the weekly food drive.
Every Thursday, the Bread
of Life ministry serves mem-
bers of the community its
most basic of needs, food
4 now a vital short-coming
since the recent spread of the
coronavirus. Since the out-
break of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, the food pantry has
seen the need increase, sup-
plies plummet, and the need
for volunteers to step up and
meet the demand.
Last Thursday, March
26, the Deschutes County
Sheriff 9s Office (DCSO)
Detective Division volunteers
met that need and sent eight
See FOOD PANTRY on page 21
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
Helping with food delivery was an opportunity for law enforcement personnel to have some positive engagement
with a stressed community.
Sheriff 9s deputies are
investigating an incident in
which a man was bitten by
a loose dog on the Peterson
Ridge Trail at the south end
of Sisters on Wednesday,
March 25.
A man was reportedly
running on the trail when
a medium-sized black dog
ran past him and bit him
on the calf. According to
an account provided by a
friend of the runner, the man
fell to the ground and threw
rocks at the dog to scare
it off.
Two women described
as being in their 50s to 60s
approached and according to
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
Office Public Information
Officer Sgt. William Bailey,
See DOG BITE on page 16
Locals rally to support med personnel
Task force warns
against dropping guard
By Jodi Schneider
Correspondent
A state task force warned
against easing restrictions in
the effort to stem the spread
of the COVID-19 virus in
Oregon. The warning came
as part of a Health Care
System Action Plan devel-
oped by the <Governor9s
Joint Task Force for Health
Care Systems Response to
COVID-19.=
<The fight against the
coronavirus depends on
Oregon hospitals having
enough beds to treat the com-
ing surge in patients who will
become seriously ill with the
virus,= the task force stated
in a news release. <Today,
Oregon health officials and
hospitals announced a joint
statewide action plan to dra-
matically bolster the state9s
ability to treat people with
COVID-19 illness who need
hospital care.=
The plan was convened
by the Oregon Health
Authority (OHA). It was
released on Thursday, March
26, as Oregon announced
50 new confirmed cases of
Inside...
cornonavirus in Oregon, with
five new cases reported in
Deschutes County.
It includes a broad range
of health systems, health-
care providers, human ser-
vices organizations, public
health and public safety
agencies, insurers and other
organizations.
The plan addresses four
urgent actions necessary to
expand the healthcare sys-
tem9s capacity and main-
tain its capability as Oregon
braces for a projected spike
in new coronavirus cases:
1. Procure and distribute
critical medical supplies,
including personal protective
equipment (PPE) for health-
care workers and ventilators.
2. Optimize hospital
capacity to be able to treat
COVID-19 cases.
3. Mobilize the health-
care workforce to respond to
COVID-19.
4. Maintain a unified,
coordinated and transparent
See TASK FORCE on page 23
A crusade of noble inten-
tions has been underway in
Sisters Country. Homebound
residents are crafting hun-
dreds of facemasks to help
shield healthcare work-
ers and others from the
coronavirus.
Last week, Sisters resi-
dent Pete Shepherd launched
a campaign: 5 day/500 Mask
Challenge.
<The virus is pitching
one fastball after another,
high and tight to the chin.
We come to the plate indi-
vidually, and yet each of
us can help all of us by
watching for a pitch that
we can hit,= Shepherd said.
<Staying home is one of the
most important things any
individual can do for all of
us. Making masks for use
by healthcare providers is
another pitch many of us can
hit.=
He added, <We started
with just an idea a week ago.
Nearly 50 volunteers have
contributed to the 5 Day/500
M a s k C h a l l e n g e . We
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sherrill Beck of Sisters at work crafting masks for healthcare workers.
received assistance from Age
Friendly Sisters Country,
Citizens4Community (C4C),
The Nugget Newspaper,
Your Store in Sisters, and
many members of the faith
and quilting communities of
Sisters Country.=
A local business, Your
Store, donated some of the
raw materials needed, such
as cotton T-shirts, while
other volunteers made all the
other parts and put together
kits. Each kit included all
parts for five masks, together
with simple instructions. A
sewing machine and mini-
mal sewing skills are all that
are required. Printed and
See MASKS on page 22
Letters/Weather .................. 2 Journey Through Thyme ....... 4 Sisters Businesses
Dear Property Guy ...............16 Classifieds ..................... 19-21
Meetings ............................. 3 Announcements ..................10 are Here to Serve ............11-14 Crossword ..........................18 Real Estate ................... 22-24