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
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