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About The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove. (Creswell, Ore.) 2019-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2020)
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 THE CHRONICLE — 13 COTTAGE GROVE GRANTS Here’s how to help feed kids Foundation distributes more than $11,000+ T he Cot t age G rove Community Foundation (CGCF) announced its Grant Award Recipients for 2020 and that 12 nonprofi t orga- nizations were selected as community grant recipients for a total of $11,186 and two unsolicited grants for $4,500. T he Cot t age G rove Community Foundation will celebrate with these nonprofi t organizations at a Community Grant Awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 17 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Shepherd Room of the Community Center. The public is invited to attend. T he Cot t age G rove Community Foundation is a public nonprofi t organiza- tion to help improve the qual- ity of life for residents of the City of Cottage Grove and surrounding communities. The Foundation is a resource for citizens, private compa- nies, and other foundations to make charitable gifts and bequests that will provide fi nancial support to educa- tional, medical, cultural, social, and civic organiza- tions serving our community. • Lincoln Middle School Physical Education — Bars & Bumpers, $1,000. Donor: Veatch Endowment Fund. • Lincoln Middle School — Lincoln Middle School Fresh Produce for Food Class, $1,000. Donor: Green Earth Advised Fund. • Ophelia’s Place — Lincoln Middle School Partnership to Empower Youth, $1,000. Donor: Carlton Woodard Advised Fund. • SquareOne Villages — Cottage Villages: Tiny Home affordable housing project in Cottage Grove, $1,000. Donor: C o m m u n it y F o u n d a t i o n Permanent Endowment Fund. • Bohemia Mining Days, Inc. — Sidewalk Cable Safety Ramps, $526. Donor: Carlton Woodard Advised Fund. • Singing Creek Education Center — Modern Pioneer Lunch Kits Project, $1,000. Donor: Community Foundation Permanent Endowment Fund. • Looking Glass Community Services — Cottage Grove Ru ra l P rogra m Building Purchase & Renovation, $1,000. Donors: Community Foundation Permanent Endowment Fund ($500), Harrison/Fuller Advised Expendable Fund ($63), Believe In Angels Advised Subfund ($437). • Community Sharing — Community Sharing Freezer Project, $1,000. Donor: Carlton Woodard Advised Fund. • Opal Center for Arts & Education — Creative Chaos Theater Camp, $660. Donor: Green Earth Advised Fund. • St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County — Finding Paths to Prosperity, $1,000. Donor: Green Earth Advised Fund. • CASA of Lane County — Rural Outreach Serving the Need, $1,000. Donor: Harrison/ Fuller Advised Expendable Fund. • Family Relief Nursery — Therapeutic Classroom Update, $1,000. Donor: Community Foundation Per manent Endowment Fund. • Friends of the Cottage Grove Library — Unsolicited grant, $500. Donor: Frank & Pamela Simpson Advised Fund. • First Presbyterian Church — Earth & Social Justice Fund, $4,000. Donor: Women’s and Children’s Fund. COTTAGE GROVE ROTARY The March 5 Rotary luncheon featured Four-Way Speech Contest participants. From left: Joe Raade, student Oden Armstrong, who was runner-up for his essay on political division, student Michael Dickerson, who earned fi rst place for an essay on proverty, and club president Christina Lund. BY GINI DAVIS THE CHRONICLE Area students often volunteer at the Creswell Food Pantry. Food Pantry well-stocked, prepared to help feed needy during pandemic BY GINI DAVIS THE CHRONICLE CRESWELL – As the community strives to absorb and adapt to the waves of infor- mation, precautions and mandates coming from medical, scientifi c, public health and governmental offi cials regarding the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and how best to keep their families safe, it’s reassuring to know that local nonprofi t organizations are still working to support those in need – including those impacted by a temporary loss of income as schools and businesses are impacted by the crisis. Creswell Food Pantry continues to distrib- ute food to individuals and families meeting gross monthly or annual income guidelines (see graphic, this page) every Thursday from 12:30 to 3 p.m., and is working hard to protect its customers and volunteers from viral trans- mission while meeting this vital community need. “We understand that our customers will continue to need food throughout this Coronavirus global outbreak,” said Pantry manager, Susan Blachnik, adding that the Pantry is currently serving an average of 65 families per week, up from 40 one year ago. The Pantry has implemented the follow- ing steps to protect customers and volunteers: 1) Pantry staff is temporarily reduced from 16 to nine, to run most effi ciently and limit crowding. 2) Customers will remain outside and are asked to mingle in groups of three or fewer. No chairs or lines. 3) Check-in will be outside, in order of arrival. Judy (the Pantry’s check-in volunteer) is doing all the writing. 4) Early arrival is discouraged. The Pantry will not begin checking people in earlier than 11:45 a.m., as time is needed to put deliveries away and stock for the day. 5) Once checked in, waiting in cars until 12:30 p.m. is requested. 6) The Pantry will use only their own boxes or bags – no totes or boxes from homes. 7) Cart-moving volunteers will sanitize carts after each use; they will use hand gel and replace their gloves between customers. 8) Boxes will be prepacked, keeping in mind that most customers prefer minimal dried beans, since they are offered so often. 9) Pantry staff and volunteers always follow food-handling guidelines when working with fresh produce (good handwashing per guide- lines and wearing gloves when handling produce). 10) If a customer is sick, the Pantry asks that they send someone in their place to pick up their food. Despite the current and expected increase in customers, “We have an adequate food supply overall, though we are low on canned foods,” Blachnik said. She noted that due to Coronavirus concerns and the mandated two-week school closure, Creswell Middle School cancelled their March food drive. “Families are needing to keep their homes stocked and cannot donate,” Blachnik said. Therefore, “We ask that the community continue to support our food program by donating canned foods at the local food barrel locations – Farmlands Market, Creswell Bi-Mart, and Creswell Library.” Donations can be mailed to Community Food for Creswell, PO Box 351, Creswell OR 97426. Updates regarding Pantry services and needs will be posted on the Creswell Food Pantry Facebook page. For more information, call Food for Lane County at 541-343-2822, or Creswell Food Pantry manager Susan Blachnik at 541-246-9117. CR E SW E LL — W hen Creswell School District shut- tered its doors a week ahead of spring break to help slow the spread of Coronavirus, one of the biggest and most immediate concerns was how to continue getting nutritious food to chil- dren whose families depended on receiving free or reduced- price meals every school day. Community organizations have stepped up to help: Creswell Food 4 Kids Creswell Food 4 Kids will continue delivering weekly food bags to kids in their program during the closure (including spring break) and “as long as we possibly can,” said director Lisa Ross, adding, “We have added a few extra items to the food bags to try and help with the extended school closures.” Home deliveries or pick-ups at The Hub, 95 Front St., are sched- uled for 5:30-6 p.m. on consec- utive Fridays, March 20 and 27. Ross assured families that “volunteers who pack and deliver the food bags are strictly following our policies of wash- ing hands, not handling fresh food with bare hands – we wear gloves – and sanitizing our tables and workspace,” she said. “Our delivery volunteers are the same every week and they care very much for the families they deliver to and will not take a chance of exposing them to anything.” Naturally, when the public has a higher need, so do the organiza- tions striving to fi ll it, and Food 4 Kids needs donations. Packaged food can be dropped off Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at their location at The Hub, or at Creswell Wellness Center, 24 W. Oregon Ave. CreswellFood4KidsProgram@ gmail.com. Food for Lane County In participating districts, to-go lunches will be free to all kids under 18 and offered to adults at $3 per meal, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, March 16-20. Creswell First! It welcomes requests for fi nancial assistance from orga- nizations that are delivering local services to deal with this health crisis. Any organization can go to the Creswell First! website, creswellfirst.com, to make contact. Thing 1 and Thing 2 – out of the box! CRESWELL – Kindergarten classes at Creslane Elementary were among the fi rst to cele- brate Dr. Seuss Week, which started March 2. Students in the classrooms of Debbie Larson, Shawna Bradley, Nastalia Raines and Clancey Cheryl sampled the odd-looking but delicious “green eggs and ham” made famous by the author in his book of the same name. That activity, along with hat-making, reading other Dr. Seuss books, and more honored the birthday of the beloved children’s author. It was also Read Across America Day. You can get involved and make a difference. The Intergenerational Reading Cooperative is a unique and groundbreaking program where volunteers help support elementary school reading and writing efforts. Email Laurie Swanson Gribskov at swansongribskov@comcast.net. Left: Cheryl Clancey’s kindergarten class at Creslane Elementary School celebrated Dr. Seuss Week in their Thing 1 and Thing 2 hats. HEIDI WILSON/SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
