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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2020)
4A ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020 ❚ APPEAL TRIBUNE Generosity by food cart leads to more Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Ken Carey was heading home in his ubiquitous “Spud Bus” after a day of op- erating his food cart at its regular loca- tion in Stayton. A stranger saw Carey driving by and flagged him down. Carey assumed the man was alerting him to something mechanically wrong with the school bus-turned-baked pota- to food cart, and he pulled over. "You still feeding the kids?" the man asked. When Carey told him he was, the man handed him a $100 bill, said, "Here, keep feeding the kids," and drove away. Since the novel coronavirus pandem- ic hit, many small businesses have been focused on survival, but Carey has been focused on helping others with his Baked and Loaded Potatoes food cart. Every Wednesday and Friday, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Carey has been giving out free cheesy baked potatoes to chil- dren in front of Stayton Elementary School. Carey started the program out of pocket, but as people from the commu- nity heard what he was doing, they stepped forward and donated over $2,000 through PayPal so he can con- tinue. “Nobody ever asked him to do any- thing, he just kind of does it on his own,” said Alan Bender, owner of Wolfgang’s Thirst Parlor Tap House, where Carey parks his food cart. “He’s just a wonder- ful man.” A lifetime of working with youth, helping others Carey worked with children for much of his adult life, spending nearly two decades as a youth pastor and then working in transportation for school districts, including the North Santiam School District. He resigned from North Santiam School District in 2017 to finally accom- plish his dream of owning a food truck. He and wife Amy wanted the busi- ness to be a success, but they also want- Amy and Ken Carey greet customers on April 8, 2020 at Stayton Elementary School. Every Wednesday and Friday at lunchtime, Baked and Loaded Potatoes food cart has been giving away cheesy baked potatoes to children. MADELEINE COOK / STATESMAN JOURNAL Ken Carey deliver two potatoes to children in their car on April 8, 2020 at Stayton Elementary School. Every Wednesday and Friday at lunchtime, Baked and Loaded Potatoes food cart has been giving away cheesy baked potatoes to children. MADELEINE COOK / STATESMAN JOURNAL ed to help others. Shortly after starting the Spud Bus in 2017, Carey organized a group of small business owners to do a fundraising RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS MARION AND POLK COUNTY Semi-annual restaurant inspections from Feb. 10 to March 3. drive for the North Santiam School Dis- trict. In a month, they raised $1,500. When the trailer for Stayton-based Squatchy’s BBQ burned down in 2018, Carey quickly organized a campaign through GoFundMe and raised $28,704 for the competitors’ business. Last summer, the school district wasn’t feeding children on Wednesdays in August while school was out, so Carey stepped up and fed them out of the truck for free. The business has become known in the Stayton community for its generos- ity as it is for the food it serves. “We had a pretty good year last year,” Carey said. Adjusting to the new reality Carey is the kind of guy who is quick to shake hands with new customers and makes it a point to learn their names. But when the outbreak hit, and dis- tancing measurements were required, he adjusted his business, including making all orders to go and sanitizing ABOUT RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS Location: 212 E Main St., Silverton Date: Feb. 25 Score: 100 No priority violations Backroads Brew Chula Vista Taqueria Location: 4682 Howell Prairie Road, Silverton (mobile unit) Date: Feb. 26 Score: 100 No priority violations Location: 135 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem Date: Feb. 27 Score: 100 No priority violations Bangkok Thai Bistro Crust Location: 1130 Royvonne Ave. SE, Suite 105, Salem Date: March 2 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is not maintained at proper hot or cold holding temperatures, specifically: Sprouts 54°F and large container of raw shell eggs stored out at room temperature near the cookline. Point deduction: 5. Location: 1385 Industrial Way, Woodburn (mobile unit) Date: March 3 Score: 97 Priority violations ❚ A test kit is not provided or is not accurate enough to measure the con- centration of sanitizing solutions, spe- cifically: Unable to locate quat test pa- per. Point deduction: 3. Cup O' Joy This is a snapshot of the inspections conducted by the Marion and Polk County health departments. Twice annually, licensed restaurants receive unannounced inspections that focus on food temperatures, food preparation practices, worker hygiene, dish-washing and sanitizing, and equipment and facility cleanliness. Violations: Restaurant scores are based on a 100-point scale. Priority violations deduct 5 points, and priority foundation violations deduct 3 points. Violations recorded on consecutive inspections result in point deductions being doubled. Scoring: Scores of 70 or higher are considered compliant. Restaurants scoring below 70 must be re-inspected within 30 days or face closure or other adminis- trative action. Restaurants display a placard by the entrance to indicate whether they have passed their last inspection. ❚ Food on display is not protected from contamination, specifically: Self- service food items such as fruits, jelly, cake slices, other toppings not under sneeze guard. Point deduction: 3. ❚ A handwashing sink is not accessi- ble for employee use at all times, is used for purposes other than handwashing or is not operated properly, specifically: Dishware/equipment blocking access to hand sink. Point deduction: 3. Feb. 25: No priority violations The Banker's Cup Location: 4193 Church Ave., St. Paul Date: Feb. 28 Score: 100 No priority violations more on the immaculate bus. Carey said for the first couple days, business on the truck was slightly slowed, but once people got used to the new requirements, business picked up. He also saw a way he could help. “Amy and I knew we wanted to do something for the community,” Carey said. “When this happened, it just spurred me on and encouraged me to do more.” They started a few weeks ago serving children free food in front of Stayton High School for lunch on Wednesdays then moved to Stayton Elementary School and demand increased. Like most school districts, North Santiam is feeding children breakfast and lunch during the school shutdown. “They’re not looking for a handout,” Carey said. “This is something we have volunteered.” On April 1, the Spud Bus gave away 56 baked potatoes to children. Two days later, it gave away 92 as word about what they were doing spread on social media. Most children who have come have are fourth grade and under, but some high school kids have ridden their bikes, including one who waited for 20 min- utes at a particularly busy time to pick up four potatoes for himself and sib- lings. Carey has three granddaughters who live in Washington. He’s been partici- pating in activities online with them, but it’s not the same. Even if he can’t feed his own family, he can feed the families of others. “It takes a burden off of the parents,” Bender said. “They can rely on him feed- ing their children. They are apprecia- tive.” Carey said the money he received from donors will be enough to continue handing out free food to children throughout the summer and beyond. “We’re going to do it twice a week un- til this thing settles down,” he said. “I had a granddaughter born on New Year’s Day. With this response, I can keep this going until she graduates high school.” bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler Location: 9015 Portland Road NE, Brooks (mobile unit) Date: Feb. 26 Score: 100 No priority violations El Caporal Taqueria Location: 700 McClaine St., Silver- ton (mobile unit) Date: Feb. 26 Score: 100 No priority violations Best Western Pacific Hwy. Inn Denny's Location: 4646 Portland Road NE, Salem Date: March 2 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is not maintained at proper hot or cold holding temperatures, specifically: Yogurt cups at top of small grab and go cooler mea- suring 49°F. Point deduction: 5. Location: 2919 Newberg Hwy., Woodburn Date: Feb. 27 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is not maintained at proper hot or cold holding temperatures, specifically: Whipped butter 43-46°F and sour cream 42-44°F at the front-of-the-house strawberry refrigerator. Point deduction: 5. First Baptist Church of Salem Denny's Fort Hill Public House Location: 395 Marion St. NE, Salem Date: March 3 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Food-contact surfaces of equip- ment and utensils are not properly san- itized after cleaning, specifically: Dish- washer not dispensing sanitizing agent during rinse cycle. Point deduction: 5. was blocked by a stepladder at start of inspection. Point deduction: 3. The Governor's Cup Coffee Roasters Location: 471 Court St. NE, Salem Date: March 2 Score: 97 Priority violations ❚ Working containers of poisonous or toxic materials are not clearly labeled, specifically: Some spray bottles of chemicals are not labeled. dish soap in squirt bottle is not labeled. Point de- duction: 3. The Human Bean Location: 4651 Commercial St. SE, Salem Date: Feb. 25 Score: 94 Priority violations ❚ (REPEAT) Food employees eat, drink or use tobacco in unapproved areas or use an inappropriate beverage container for drinking, specifically: Un- approved employee drink container in the kitchen. Point deduction: 6. Independence Cinema Big Town Hero Location: 1008 N 1st Ave., Stayton Date: Feb. 24 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is im- properly reheated for hot holding, spe- cifically: Meatballs recently heated measured 98-120°F inside the steamer unit. Point deduction: 5. Bobablastic Location: 1001 N Arney Road, Wood- burn Date: Feb. 25 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ The chlorine sanitizer concentra- tion, pH, or temperature is not ade- quate, specifically: Chlorine residual measured below 10 PPM in the three- compartment sink. Point deduction: 5. Chan's Restaurant Location: 3155 Ryan Drive SE, Salem Date: Feb. 28 Score: 100 No priority violations Donatello's Pizza Location: 3981 Commercial St. SE, Salem Date: March 3 Score: 97 Priority violations ❚ Unnecessary poisonous or toxic materials are on the premises, specifi- cally: Non food grade bug spray in the kitchen. Point deduction: 3. DoubleTree By Hilton Location: 1590 Weston Court NE, Sa- lem Date: Feb. 11 (reinspected Feb. 25) Score: 94 Feb. 11: Priority violations Location: 8655 Fort Hill Road, Willa- mina Date: Feb. 25 Score: 95 Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is not maintained at proper hot or cold holding temperatures, specifically: Liquid egg in ice is at 47°F. Liquid butter in plastic container sitting on top of toaster is at 71°F. Point deduction: 5. Get Some Aloha Location: 4106 State St., Salem (mo- bile unit) Date: Feb. 28 Score: 97 Priority violations ❚ A handwashing sink is not accessi- ble for employee use at all times, is used for purposes other than handwashing or is not operated properly, specifically: A large pot was in handwash sink and sink Location: 450 S 2nd St., Independ- ence Date: Feb. 26 Score: 100 No priority violations Jack in the Box Location: 110 N Arney Road, Wood- burn Date: Feb. 12 (reinspected Feb. 25) Score: 87 Feb. 12: Priority violations ❚ Potentially hazardous food is not maintained at proper hot or cold holding temperatures, specifically: Scrambled eggs 89°F on the countertop without a use-by timer sticker; main hot holding unit at the cookline is inoperable. Point deduction: 5. ❚ The facility is not complying with variance provisions as approved, spe- cifically: No detectable quat sanitizer residual and no time-sticker placed on Continued on Page 2