REGION
Saturday, March 27, 2021
A3
East Oregonian
Website connects consumers to fresh Oregon-grown food
La Grande Observer
PORTLAND — Finding
locally grown fresh foods in
Oregon just became easier.
Oregon Taste, a public
service project of nonprofit
James Beard Public Market,
announced the launch of
OregonTaste.com, a search-
able online directory of the
state’s locally grown fresh
food.
The website allows area
consumers to connect to
Oregon’s local fresh foods and
food businesses, providing a
reliable source for information
on Oregon food, food prod-
ucts, food systems programs
and food events.
The directory initially is
focusing on Oregon’s local
producers that sell fresh foods
directly to consumers. List-
ings include sellers of fresh,
local and direct-to-consumer
food, as well as information
on farmers, fi shers, ranchers,
roadside stands, u-pick fi elds,
farmers markets and orchards.
The directory, so far, lists
11 ag-related businesses in
Eastern Oregon, including
Bellinger Farms and Gour-
met Shoppe in Hermiston,
Evergreen Family Farm in
La Grande, Almosta Farm in
Cove and Mountain Beef in
Enterprise.
Consumers can search
the directory for fresh food
producers across the state, fi nd
specifi c food products, link to
a producer’s website and learn
how to connect with producers
and their products. In collab-
oration with Oregon Farm-
ers Markets Association, the
website also provides consum-
ers links to the websites
of farmers markets across
Oregon.
Lori Warner, development
director for Oregon Taste,
said in the press release the
COVID-19 pandemic revealed
how much local food systems
matter.
“The idea for Oregon Taste
The diffi cult road to recovery from addiction
Treatment center
helps Darrell
‘Pete’ Rollins turn
life around
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — When
Darrell “Pete” Rollins
entered inpatient treatment
for addiction at Eastern
Oregon Recovery Center in
Pendleton, he didn’t think
anything counselors there
had to teach him would work.
“I packed my stuff every
day for the first 30 days,
wanting to leave,” the Herm-
iston man said.
One day, he said, he broke
the rules of the center and
was asked to give up his cell-
phone for a week. He asked
for time to think about it and
called his adult son, hoping
his son would be outraged on
his behalf and come and get
him. Instead, his son asked
him if he had really broken
the rules, and when he said
yes, told him he needed to
own up to his mistake. So
he handed over his phone,
and in the process, decided
to embrace the recovery
program instead of resisting
it.
“When I gave up my
phone, that was the best thing
I ever did,” he said.
There were still setbacks,
after that. He almost left
when his younger brother
was killed in a motorcycle
accident, before deciding
his brother would have cared
more about him getting clean
than attending his funeral.
But Rollins graduated from
the recovery center in Febru-
ary and said he hasn’t used
drugs since.
He’s thrilled. He says he’s
happier, healthier and has a
better relationship with his
children. He enjoys more
activities, and has a steady
job.
“I wish I had done this
35 years ago,” he said. “The
world has opened up to me.”
He has a lot of people to
thank — his child’s pediatri-
cian, to whom he confi ded his
drug problem. His primary
care physician. The people
at Umatilla County Human
Services, who helped get
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Darrell “Pete” Rollins poses with his Eastern Oregon Recov-
ery Center certifi cate of completion for a portrait at McKen-
zie Park in Hermiston on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
RECOVERY RESOURCES
Umatilla County Human Services: 541-564-9390
Eastern Oregon Detoxifi cation Center: 541-278-2558
Eastern Oregon Recovery Center: 541-278-2558 ext. 102
Power House Residential Drug Treatment Center:
541-567-2593
New Horizons: 541-289-0190
Grande Ronde Recovery Center: 541-663-4104
National Substance Abuse and Mental Health hotline:
1-800-662-4357
him into treatment and have
supported him in the outpa-
tient phase. His probation
officer. Those who attend
Narcotics Anonymous and
Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings with him. His boss
at Bud Rich Potato, who
held his job for him while he
was in treatment. He said he
couldn’t have done it without
his children, either.
“I’m really fortunate my
kids never turned their back
on me,” he said. “That was
my support.”
He also credits the staff
at Eastern Oregon Recovery
Center for their help. He said
they managed to “teach an
old dog new tricks” and could
see through his excuses and
get to the heart of the prob-
lem.
“I couldn’t believe the love
and compassion they had for
someone like me,” he said.
While staff can’t talk
about individual patients’
treatment, employees of
EORC can talk about the
facility in general. Eastern
Oregon Recovery Center
began as Eastern Oregon
Alcoholism Foundation in
1960. The overarching orga-
nization includes the 36-bed
inpatient treatment center for
men and women, the East-
ern Oregon Detoxifi cation
Center and transitional hous-
ing. Located in Pendleton, it
serves people throughout the
state who are seeking treat-
ment for addiction.
Kati Jokinen, clinical
supervisor for the recov-
ery center, said connect-
ing people to a network of
supportive people and to
community resources for
after they leave the center
is crucial. They work with
human services, Lifeways
and other organizations
to help “set people up for
success” beyond the inpatient
treatment phase.
“We do what we can to
make sure their needs are
met,” she said.
She and other staff said the
pandemic has made some of
that network-building more
diffi cult. Family and friends
have to video chat instead
of visit in person to protect
patients from COVID-19
exposure, for example, which
doesn’t always have the same
eff ect as in-person interac-
tions.
Eryn Griffin, nursing
superintendent at the detox-
ification center, said she
saw people come through
her doors last year who said
a signifi cant factor in their
relapse was that NA and AA
meetings and other support
groups had stopped suddenly
in the spring, and took a while
to get going again virtually or
in small groups outdoors.
“The isolation defi nitely
played a huge role in a lot of
peoples’ relapse,” she said.
Jokinen agreed, and said
she was also concerned that
the latest stimulus checks the
federal government is paying
out will prove too much of a
temptation for some people
to use the money to feed their
addictions.
Darren Cole, execu-
tive director, said he can’t
emphasize enough that if
people want to overcome
addiction, or want their loved
ones to overcome addiction,
they have to understand that
having a support system
during and after treatment is
critical.
The road to recovery isn’t
easy, but Jokinen pointed out
that’s something EORC staff
know well — many of them
are in recovery themselves,
and know exactly what it
takes.
Rollins hopes to be one
of those people someday.
Once he reaches two years of
sobriety, he hopes to work in
addiction recovery in some
way, perhaps as a motiva-
tional speaker.
For now, he’s focused on
his newfound outlook on life.
“I got my self respect
back, and my life back and
my health back,” he said.
was born out of this increased
need to connect Oregonians to
more local farms and the foods
they create,” she stated.
Oregon Taste also soon
plans to expand the directory to
include links to food products
manufactured or processed in
Oregon; wine, beer, spirits and
other beverages created in the
state; and listings of local food
events. Future plans include
listings of the state’s food-re-
lated nonprofi ts, agencies and
food organizations.
As a public service proj-
ect, the directory is free to
consumers, as well as local
farmers and sellers who want
to appear in the directory.
Organizations statewide
are collaborating with James
Beard Public Market to help
connect consumers to Oregon-
grown foods, including the
Oregon Farmers Markets
Association, Travel Oregon
Food Trail Program and the
High Desert Food and Farm
Alliance.
LOCAL BRIEFING
District awards
bid for new
elementary school
HERMISTON — Kirby
Nagelhout Construction will
build both of Hermiston’s new
elementary school buildings.
The Hermiston School
District previously announced
the contractor had been
awarded the bid to build the
new, larger Rocky Heights
Elementary School, and this
week also awarded the bid for
construction of Loma Vista
Elementary School, which
is planned for East Theater
Lane.
According to the news
release, Kirby Nagelhout,
which is headquartered in
Bend and has offi ces in Pend-
leton, was the apparent low
bid on the Loma Vista proj-
ect, at $22,579,000. The new
elementary school will be
73,500 square feet and serve
about 600 students.
Groundbreaking events for
both elementary school proj-
ects will take place on April
13. Construction is expected
to conclude in summer 2022.
Hermiston plans
airport project
HERMISTON — The
city of Hermiston is planning
a $2 million renovation proj-
ect at the Hermiston Munici-
pal Airport.
The project will recon-
struct the “apron” where
planes can park after landing
on the runway. According to
City Manager Mark Morgan,
the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration has awarded the city
a grant to cover 90% of the
cost, and a $150,000 grant
from the state will help cover
most of the rest of the local
match of $200,000.
According to the city, in
2014 the Oregon Department
of Aviation evaluated the
apron, which is more than 30
years old, and rated sections
“poor” and “failing.” The
airport’s taxiway was also in
poor shape, and a 2016 proj-
ect rebuilt the taxiway.
Construction on the apron
is expected to begin in July
and take about 90 days to
complete.
Commercial
Tire now
employee owned
HER MISTON
—
Commercial Tire announced
last week that the company is
now 100% employee owned.
The tire company has
45 locations across the
Pacific Northwest, includ-
ing a Hermiston store. It has
moved to an employee stock
ownership plan business
model, which allows employ-
ees to accrue stock over time
from an employee retirement
trust.
According to a news
release, research has shown
the business model is associ-
ated with improved employee
performance and job stabil-
ity.
“Selling the company
could create unwanted
change and instability for the
people we care about,” Bob
Schwenkfelder, founder and
CEO of Commercial Tire,
said in a news release. “This
transition is about leaving
a legacy for our employees
and in our communities that
will have a lasting, positive
impact.”
— EO Media Group
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
3/26- 4/1
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