PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 4, 2020
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Tips to avoid being raided by
porch pirates this holiday
It’s the busiest time of
the year for the U.S. Postal
Service and other pack-
age delivery services. The
pandemic, and an even
more massive shift to on-
line shopping, are likely to
mean the boxes and enve-
lopes pile up rapidly.
Packages left on door-
steps make for easy theft,
but minimizing exposure
to so-called “porch pirates”
is not as hard as it might
seem. The Keizer Police
Department’s Communi-
ty Response Unit will be
arranging package theft
stings throughout the hol-
iday season and expect
to ramp up the effort as the
Christmas holiday approaches.
Suggestions for securing
packages quickly and safely
include:
• Consider having packages
delivered to a place of employ-
ment.
• If delivery to your place
of employment isn’t feasible,
schedule deliveries for times
you will be home.
• Team up with a trusted
neighbor and work together
to retrieve and secure packages
soon after they are delivered.
• Sign up to receive text
messages or email notifi ca-
tions/alerts advising when
packages are delivered to your
packages in the box door
cameras, security cameras
and video doorbells with
motion sensors can all
be used to monitor your
porch for package deliv-
ery.
• Finally, keep an eye
out for suspicious vehicles
and individuals in your
neighborhood.
Don’t
hesitate to call the police
to respond to investigate
when suspicious vehicles
or individuals are ob-
served.
The U.S. Postal Ser-
File
vice is also offering an In-
formed Delivery Service.
residence. After receiving the
The service lets you see
notifi cation, work with oth- what’s expected to arrive in
er family members, friends or your mailbox soon, whether
neighbors to identify an indi- it’s important mail or packages.
vidual who can retrieve and You can sign up at informed-
secure the packages quickly. delivery.usps.com.
This keeps packages from sit-
Even if you would rather be
ting on a porch unattended surprised when you open the
and vulnerable to theft for mailbox each day, it’s a good
long periods of time.
idea to register your address
• Require a signature when and its residents. In 2018, sev-
packages are delivered. This en people in Michigan used
ensures packages will not be the service while registering
delivered unless someone is at for credit cards and then stole
home who can sign for them. the cards out of the recipi-
• Consider investing in ents’ mailboxes. They were
technology or security devices. caught after running up more
A variety of lockboxes, or par- than $400,000 in fraudulent
cel boxes have become avail- charges. You can also opt out
able in recent years that allows of the service by emailing eS-
the delivery service to secure afe@usps.gov.
Grad party plan carries on
The committee that plans
the McNary High School
senior graduation party is
moving ahead for the Class of
2021.
There is no date nor loca-
tion set yet, but the organizers
are seeking contributions to
give the Class of 2021 a mem-
orable experience.
Erin Clarke of Celtic Cel-
ebration wrote, “We don’t
know where it is going to be
or what we will be able to do
because of COVID-19. How-
ever, we are hoping to plan an
evening fi lled with entertain-
ment, games, prizes, food, fun
Feeding the hungry
Priscilla
Schaecher
(left) and
Celia Macias
mix the
stuffi ng in
preparation
for the
Thanksgiving
Community
Dinner at
St. Edward
Catholic
Church. The
dinner was
conducted
drive-thru
style, but
the tradition
continued.
KEIZERTIMES/
Lyndon A. Zaitz
City parks survey online
The City of Keizer is up-
dating its Parks Master Plan
and residents are encouraged
to fi ll out an online survey that
will inform how local parks
are developed into the future.
The survey can be found
at bit.ly/KeizerParks. Anyone
who completes the survey will
be entered to win a $50 gift
card.
As much as what residents
would like to see in their lo-
cal park, Keizer Public Works
Director Bill Lawyer wants to
know what type of offerings
are desired in a potential rec-
reation program.
A parks services fee ap-
proved by the city council in
2017 has been a boon to local
parks in the city. The addition-
al funding has permitted up-
dates of paths and equipment
throughout the system. The
city is still catching up on a
long to-do list, but Lawyer can
now see the day when a recre-
ation programs comes within
reach.
“The parks services fee
allows us to do things, and
consider doing things, I never
dreamed we would be able to
do,” Lawyer said. “It’s exciting
to be part of that.”
As to what form a recre-
ation program would take, he’s
almost entirely open.
“It might be programs for
adults and kids and it could
range from classes to more
athletic interests,” Lawyer said.
“The only thing I would rath-
er the city not get involved in
is running youth sports pro-
grams.”
The personnel capacity
running a youth sports pro-
gram would probably still lie
outside the city’s grasp – even
if inter-league politics weren’t
a factor.
Portland-based MIG, Inc. is
consulting with the city on the
project.
activities and a gift for every
student.”
To support the 2021 Celt-
ic celebration the committee
is soliciting cash, prizes, gift
cards or gift baskets.
Financial donations are
currently being accepted and
can be mailed to: McNary
Graduation Party-Celtic Cel-
ebration, P.O. Box 21114,
Keizer, OR 97307-11114.
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WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051
KEIZER COMMUNITY CHURCH
380 Churchdale Ave N (1 block West of Dutch Bros)
503 -393 - 0222 • KeizerCommunityChurch.com
SUNDAY:
Sermons can be found online at
www.keizercommunitychurch.com
WEDNESDAY:
6:30 pm Awana; Youth Group; Adults
www.KeizerChristian.org