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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2003)
Mission turns out turkey feast The Eugene Mission, which is open all year, offers special services during the holidays By Allyson Goldstein Freelance Reporter The holiday season is fast approaching, and for many Eugene residents this means warm food and festive gather ings. For others, it brings con cerns about cold and hunger. This Thanksgiving, hun dreds of people who are un able to provide a Thanksgiving for themselves will sit down to a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings at the Eugene Mission. The Mission, which opened in 1956, provides food, cloth ing, shelter and a work therapy program to people struggling fi nancially. The Mission has a Christian focus, and volunteers conduct chapel services for resi dents and guests each evening. Lynn Antis, the assistant director of the Mission, keeps rough statistics on the number of people who use the facility. "We have three lodges which offer over three hun dred beds, and we provide three meals a day, three hun dred and sixty five days a year," Antis said. Antis also described the Mission's plans for Christ mas, when volunteers plan to continue the annual tradition of spreading holiday cheer to the residents. "At Christmas, everyone gets a gift package full of toiletry items, candy and age-appro priate toys for the children," Antis said. While the mission offers spe cial meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, its services extend far beyond the holiday season. Res idents at the Mission stay for varying lengths of time depend ing on their specific situations, and most say the Mission pro vides a good environment to get back on their feet. Michael Stolbeig, who is cur rently between jobs, has been staying at the Mission while he looks for work. I le likes the safe Christian atmosphere and plans to eat Thanksgiving dinner there this year. "The Mission provides a chapel, meals and a bed, and expects nothing in return ex cept for a little help with the day-to-day work," he said. Many Eugene residents, like University sophomore Corinne Cox, are unaware that the Mis sion even exists and are astound ed by the number of people who use its services every day. "Eve never heard of the Eu gene Mission, but I think that it's great that there's something like this in the community, and it's amazing that they are able to help so many people on a daily basis," said Cox, a cultural an thropology major. The Mission receives most of its funding through private Tim Kupsick Freelance Photographer Patrons get a hot meal at the Eugene Mission on Tuesday. donations, business donations and its newspaper recycling program. The Mission has many sources of community support, but it can always use extra help in the form of donations of food, clothing and toiletries, es pecially during the holiday sea son. Donations can be brought to the Eugene Mission, located at 1542 W. First Ave. in Eugene. Stolberg, like many others who are grateful for the servic es the Mission provides, said he feels that it is a real asset to the community. "It's a good place for people who have nowhere else to go, * he said. Allyson Goldstein is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. DREfiQN DflllY FMFRAIH your independent student newspaper Amigos’ helps - victims of war, students alike The non-profit group offers legal services and therapy for war crime victims By Athanasios Fkiaras Freelance Reporter Many University students celebrate Thanksgiving with their families and come to ex pect the love and security they have known without ever questioning it. Others, however, no longer have this luxury. Some people have no living family mem bers. They have difficulty trusting people. They fear anyone who displays the slightest hint of authority. Many have experienced tor ture and rape. These are the survivors of the numerous military takeovers that took place in the mid-1970s in Central and South America. "It's not very easy to forget. It's something that scars you for the rest of your life," said Rogelio Salec of Guatemala. Salec, 31, came to the Unit ed States and moved to Eu gene after running from the government, which he says killed his brother-in-law and his cousin. He said that both were blacklisted — watched closely by the government — but had done nothing and were politically inactive. "At one point, we had to sleep under trees and bush es,* he said, adding that he spent much of his time in such conditions until he found refuge in the United States. Salec said that the transi tion from a life of fear to a brand new beginning was dif ficult and confusing. Many survivors like Salec feel alien ated due to language and cul tural barriers. The terrorist at tacks on Sept. 11 also added an unexpected dimension to the transition many survivors were going through. Not only did these events take away from the security refugees thought they had in the Unit ed States, but the attacks hap pened on the date that Chile fell under autocratic rule in 1973. Salec's feelings of uncer tainty and fear changed, how ever, when a close friend in troduced him to the non-profit organization Ami gos de los Sobrevivientes (Friends of the Survivors). German Nieto-Maquehue, the executive director of Ami gos, said that victims of war crimes remain traumatized long after conflicts cease and possibly for life. Amigos de los Sobrevivientes caters to any needs these victims might have. Established 10 years ago, the organization offers therapy, legal advice, fi Turn to AMIGOS, page 6C 017785 Students: We ship your stuff home! 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