9A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016
Riverfolk: At least 35 volunteers stepped up to feed those in need
Continued from Page 1A
“I was nowhere,” she said.
Tucker got in touch with
Mary Docherty, who helped
her navigate the process of
getting a replacement birth
certificate and a new ID,
which Tucker has used to
help her get a job and her own
apartment.
“There’s nothing they can
do without IDs,” Docherty
said, adding she has now
helped about eight people.
On Tuesday, she was fitting
Tucker and her partner, Joshua
Gianuario, with new rain gear,
courtesy of a private donation
to Riverfolk. Docherty said
the people Riverfolk helps
have taught her a huge amount
about dignity and grace, and
have become some of her best
friends.
Tucker said she was left
homeless months ago after
fleeing an abusive partner.
With help from groups like
Riverfolk, she said, “I’m
learning to come back up.”
Turkey Bucks
In August, Riverfolk
started its free 10 a.m. Sunday
brunch at the Armory, which
averages 13 people each week.
Docherty said she has a
friend at the Astoria Safeway
who heard about Riverfolk.
The store chose the group as
the recipient of the Turkey
Bucks program. Checkers at
the store gathered the dona-
tions throughout November.
Robyn Koustik, director
of the Armory and an unoffi-
cial board member with Riv-
erfolk, said the donation really
hit home last weekend, when
someone from Safeway called
and said they had $15,000
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
The Riverfolk Homeless Coalition’s board of directors includes, from left, Mary Docherty,
de facto member and Astoria Armory Director Robyn Koustik, Hilary Levine, Mike Doran
and Nicole Adamczyk.
worth of food that needed to
be picked up.
“I just started calling agen-
nearly 200 turkeys to individ-
ual families and other social
service groups. Volunteers
cies,” she said. “’Please take
turkeys.’”
The group distributed
with the group cooked another
20 or so turkeys at the North
Coast Food Web and Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital’s com-
munity center the day of the
feast at the Armory.
Adamczyk said when the
group learned there wouldn’t
be any pies in the food dona-
tion, Riverfolk put a call out
on Facebook, and by Thurs-
day had a table full of donated
deserts.
The Thanksgiving event
had at least 35 volunteers,
Koustik said, often outnum-
bering the diners.
Docherty said Riverfolk
still has 18 turkeys left for
future brunches. The group
also has been chosen as the
recipient of another of Safe-
way’s fundraisers, the Santa
Bucks program, which is now
raising money for Christmas
meals.
Festival: ‘Everyone is so giving, caring and compassionate’
Continued from Page 1A
faces painted, work on craft
projects and create and wrap
handmade ornaments to give
to loved ones.
During a conference Rus-
sell attended — targeted for
designers and organizers
of various Festival of Trees
events — she was inspired
to bolster the experience for
children and add a touch of
Disney magic, as other orga-
nizations and communities
had done.
“My vision for Candy
Cane Lane is that people will
come, families will come, to
see the trees and see Santa
and catch a good case of holi-
day spirit at the open house,”
Russell said.
A winter wonderland
The 19th annual Prov-
idence Festival of Trees,
hosted by the hospital’s foun-
dation, also will retain many
traditions the community
expects and enjoys. Guests
will experience the highly
anticipated display of stun-
ning Christmas trees that are
festively decorated by local
businesses, designers, florists
and other north coast resi-
dents, Russell said.
Collectively, the trees cre-
ate a holiday wonderland that
serves as the inspiring setting
for both the community open
house and the following gala
dinner and auction.
Some of the approx-
imately 20 trees will be
designed by Festival of Trees
veterans who look forward to
participating every year. New
groups also are partaking in
the festivities.
This year, local law
enforcement agencies are
using the festival as an oppor-
tunity to honor the memory
of former Seaside Police Sgt.
Jason Goodding, who died in
the line of duty in February.
The Seaside, Astoria, War-
renton, Gearhart and Can-
non Beach police depart-
ments, along with the Clatsop
County Sheriff’s Office, are
“pooling their energy together
to come up with a memorial
tree,” according to Russell.
The tree will have a police
theme and be auctioned off
with “experiential items,” she
said. Russell has not seen the
list yet but it might include
items such as a ride-along or a
trip to the shooting range with
an officer.
“They’re going to come
up with these experiences that
kind of get the police officers
face-to-face with the commu-
nity,” Russell said. “So we’ll
have what I’m calling ‘price-
less experiences’ that aren’t
something you can go out
and buy — something very
special.”
The proceeds from that
tree alone will go into a spe-
cial fund that will be used
to memorialize Goodding in
some way when the hospi-
tal’s emergency department is
remodeled. Nothing specific
has been determined, Russell
said.
All other funds from this
year’s festival will go toward
the purchase of new three-di-
mensional
tomosynthesis
imaging equipment, the lat-
est state-of-the-art mam-
mography technology, which
helps with early cancer detec-
tion and mitigates false posi-
tive results. There currently is
not a similar machine on the
north coast in Oregon, Rus-
sell said, and patients must
drive to Portland or other
larger cities. The equipment’s
estimated cost is $400,000.
Purchasing the machine
is the foundation’s yearlong
goal, and they have accumu-
lated more than $250,000
from other fundraising efforts
and personal donations this
year.
“Festival of Trees is going
to be a good add-on to that,”
Russell said, adding she feels
fortunate her job includes
working with a “very gener-
ous, remarkable community.”
“I get paid to work with
the most generous people,”
she added. “Everyone is so
giving, caring and compas-
sionate when it comes to
healthcare and what we do.”
tioned off, along with sig-
nature artwork by Paula
Blackwell, during the elegant
evening gala. The event —
which gives North Coast resi-
dents the uncommon opportu-
nity to don their holiday finery
to celebrate the holidays with
community, Russell said —
also includes a silent auction
for donated items, as well as
wreaths and 3-foot trees dec-
orated by hospital staff mem-
bers. Attendees also can enter
a drawing for a weeklong stay
at an estate in Ireland.
The Festival of Trees is
Providence Seaside Hospi-
tal Foundation’s largest fund-
raiser of the year. During the
past 18 years, the event has
raised more than $1.3 million
to benefit a variety of com-
munity health services and
programs provided by the
hospital.
The open house runs from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3. It is
free to the public.
Doors open for the gala
dinner and auction — also
at the convention center —
at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $100
Grand gala activities
The trees and their accom-
panying goodies will be auc-
Justin Grafton Studios/
Submitted Photo
Each tree at Providence
Seaside Foundation’s annu-
al Festival of Trees fundrais-
er is decorated with a theme
that matches the item being
auctioned off during the eve-
ning gala. All proceeds sup-
port the Providence Seaside
Hospital and local programs
and services.
per guest and tickets should
be reserved by Thursday. For
more information about the
event or to reserve a seat for
the gala, contact Russell at
503-717-7604 or email veron-
ica.russell@providence.org.
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