Columbia Gorge News
HoodRiverNews.com • TheDallesChronicle.com • WhiteSalmonEnterprise.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
‘Feed the
Gorge’ in
October
Hay bank helps wildfire evacuees
Osborne
■ By Hood Betty
River Saddle Club
I
T REALLY DOES TAKE A WHOLE
village — and because kind-
ness knows no boundaries, the
devastating wildfires are proof of
the Northwest’s enduring spirit of
generosity.
As evacuation levels from the
Oregon wildfires began to rise in
September, it was paramount that
livestock and other animals also
found safe haven. But many families
were unable to evacuate them.
Enter Cowgirl 911 — a Facebook
animal evacuation assistance group,
which already existed in California
and, with the advent of Oregon’s
wildfires, was created in just one day
to save Oregon livestock. The group’s
Facebook page receives hundreds of
posts each day from across the state
from people either seeking or offer-
ing help for displaced animals.
As evacuated horses and other
animals began heading for safety
in the Columbia Gorge, the issue
of having sufficient feed for them
came to the forefront. Jana Hughes,
owner of a Snowden, Wash., horse
boarding facility, who had already
taken in evacuated horses, posted
the need for hay donations to many
Facebook sites as well as Cowgirl
911. Within a few hours, Cowgirl 911
reached out with news of a donation
of 8-10 tons of hay from Premier New
World Gypsy Cobs — a family-owned
business in Salem that raises Gypsy
Cob horses.
“When I said we wouldn’t be able
to pick up the hay, their exact words
were, ‘We’ve got you covered!’ After
the stories I’d heard from my evac-
uees and others, I just cried,” said
Hughes. “I’d been talking with Kurt
Osborne, and he offered to organize
the hay delivery.”
Hood River was chosen as the site
for the hay bank, but where could it
be stored in case of rain? Osborne
(Wind Dance Stable) and photog-
rapher friend John Laptad brain-
stormed. Laptad suggested the fair-
grounds, Osborne made the call and,
with two thumbs up from Hood River
B1
Canned goods and other
food donations are request-
ed in the annual Feed the
Gorge food drive, through
Oct. 31 at locations in Hood
River, Klickitat, Skamania
and Wasco counties.
Drop-off locations open
through Oct. 31 are: St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church,
1805 Minnesota; Safeway
grocery and Fred Meyer
grocery in The Dalles, and
Windermere Real Estate
locations:
Stevenson, 220 S.W.
Second St.; Bingen, 106 W.
Steuben Ave.; The Dalles,
122 E. Second St.; Hood
River, 315 Oak St.; Cascade
Locks, 651 WaNaPa Ave.
Washintgon Gorge action
Programs and Columbia
Gorge Food Bank (serving
Wasco, Hood River and
Sherman Counties) have
partnered with Windermere
on Feed the Gorge.
Bob Solomon, whose daughter’s horses were housed at the fairgrounds, helps keep things moving through the hay bank.
Contributed photo
County Fair Manager Clara Rice, the
wheels were set in motion and plans
quickly began to take shape.
Five folks stepped up and volun-
teered to bring the hay to Hood River.
The Cowgirl 911 volunteer haulers
were Zac and Amber Davis from
Junction City, Grace Wagner from
Eugene, Shianne Davis of Salem, and
Michael Aguillera from Pleasant Hill.
“It was a beautiful sight,” said
Osborne, “to see these wonderful
people pulling two enormous trailer
loads of hay into the fairgrounds
around 8:30 that night. They’d al-
ready put in a days’ work — yet they
didn’t hesitate to respond to the call.
“We owe many people a huge
round of thanks,” said Osborne. “Fair
board member Mark Mears was
instrumental in arranging to store
the hay in the livestock building, and
David Stearns spared all of us many
hours of backbreaking labor by using
his tractor and grapple to unload the
hay and place it inside. Our ground
crew of Mark, Ron Harder, Phillip
Stearns, Craig Ortega plus evacuee
Bob Solomon, whose daughter’s
horses were housed at the fair-
grounds, kept things moving, guiding
David and moving bales as needed.
Linda Harder brought cold drinks
and snacks; John Laptad and Betty
Osborne photographed the event as
it unfolded. I hope I haven’t over-
looked anyone as so many people
deserve our thanks.”
Many families and organizations
throughout the Gorge offered shelter
for horses, cows, goats — even chick-
ens, as well as for their owners —
among them Hood River fairgrounds,
Hood River Saddle Club, Jackie Moe,
Crystal Beam and Brigette Phelps in
Hood River; Hughes in Snowden and
Jill Fargher and Alan Loftness in The
Dalles. While this list may be incom-
plete, it demonstrates the generosity
of good people reaching out in times
of crisis to help others.
‘Drive Away
Hunger’ with
Oregon FFA
Oregon FFA and Les
Schwab Tire Centers are
hosting their annual Drive
Away Hunger initiative
during the month of
October to help raise food
and awareness for those
affected by food insecurity.
Through Saturday, Oct.
31, food donations can be
dropped at any Les Schwab
Tire Center, Wilco or Grange
Coop store.
To learn more, visit the
Oregon FFA Facebook page
and #DriveAwayHunger.
To learn more about FFA
visit www.oregonffa.com or
www.ffa.org.
Happy Kids, Healthy Smiles for a Lifetime
Pediatric Dental Clinic Designed for Your Children
Now offering dental laser technology
anesthesia & pain free dentistry
1935 E. 19th St.
Suite 200
The Dalles, OR
541-296-8901
© 2020 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 36, No. 46
419 State Street
Suite 4
Hood River, OR
541-387-8688
Red, White and Blue Words
With a friend, see how many words you can make with the
letters that spell red, white and blue! Write each word
in a star. Can you fill them all?
Can’t vote? Start a “Don’t Forget to Vote” Campaign!
Here’s how:
Cut out the “Don’t Forget
to Vote” badge on this page
and wear it proudly!
In order to vote, you must qualify
three ways:
On Election Day, ask every
person you see who is over
18 if he or she has voted yet.
Ask your teacher, your
parents, the school secretary,
and clerks at stores.
Ask them all!
You must be at least 18 years
old.
You must be a citizen of the
United States.
You must be registered (signed
up) to vote in the state where
you live.
Complete this activity at home
this evening with a parent or
another learning buddy.
1. People elected to
government offices must
be good leaders. With a
learning buddy, find 10
words in today’s newspaper
that describe a good leader.
2. Write the 10 words here in
alphabetical order:
Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions.
Standards Links: Social Science: Students understand the role of citizens including how to participate in civic life.
Decide whether each of these people
can vote. Then follow each path in
the maze to find out if you are right.
Standards Link: Social Science: Students understand the
ways in which citizens participate in the American political
system.
is an Air Force pilot
based in Germany
is 22 years old
is a U.S. citizen
has registered to vote
3. Discuss some leaders you or
your learning buddy respect.
On the lines below, each of
you write some reasons why
you think this person is a
good leader.
is a U.S. citizen
is 79 years old
retired 10 years ago
has not registered to vote
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recongized identical
words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
is 30 years old
is a U.S. citizen
has registered to vote
does not read English
turns 18 on Nov. 1, 2020
is a U.S. citizen
does not have a job
has registered to vote
Clara canʼt vote because she didnʼt register when she moved. Tom can vote even though he is in Germany. How? He can vote by mail!
Unscramble each election word on the hats. Then look for
an article in the newspaper that uses one of these terms.
Read the article and then use your own words to explain
what you think the word means.
Standards Link: Spelling: Letter order, sequencing. Vocabulary development.
Look through the
newspaper for 10
words about the
coming election.
Cut them out and
glue them onto a
piece of paper in
alphabetical order.
Bonus Challenge:
Can you find an
election word for
each letter of the
alphabet?
Standards Link: Spelling:
Arrange words in
alphabetical order.
Your reasons:
Read Between the Lines
People often use both fact and opinion to
persuade others about their way of thinking.
Look at a letter to the editor. Underline the
facts in red and the opinions in blue. Does
the writer use more fact or opinion?
Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.
Your learning buddy’s reasons:
What’s your
opinion?
Should kids be allowed to
vote? Why or why not?