Spilyay Tymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
February 8, 2001 3
Commodities -
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What could possibly be inter
esting about the "Food Commodities
Program?" The name itself evokes a
dull, beaurocratic operation employ
ing humorless, pencil-pushing admin
istrators who thrive on paperwork.
The planned shut down of the
second shift at Warm Springs Forest
Products Industries (WSFPI) will
bring dramatic changes to the lives
of at least 51 workers. On January
25, in an effort to ease the transition,
WSFPI sponsored an informational
gathering for employees scheduled to
be laid off in February. Representa
tives from 12 state and tribal organi
zations were present to assist work
ers with plans for their future and in
form them of the available resources.
Theresa Van Pelt, WSFPI Hu
man Resources Manager, and fellow
members of the WSFPI Transition
Team are concerned with the impact
job losses will have on the employ
ees and their families. She likened the
loss to the death of a loved one, in
volving denial, anger, acceptance
and, ultimately, the need for appro
priate action to get on with life.
It is this need for action that was
addressed on Thursday afternoon.
Van Pelt's plan was to get all cooper
ating agencies in one room, so that
workers could avoid the frustration
of visiting an agency in one town such
as Redmond, only to find they first
needed to talk to someone at an
agency in Madras.
The spirit of cooperation and
information-sharing among the rep
resentatives was a positive note in the
Penny Rogers discusses COIC
John Finch and Jon Brown -
Not here at Warm Springs! The pro
gram with the unromantic title is ac
tually an exciting and thriving opera
tion run by two men determined to
spread the word about all "Commodi
ties" has to offer.
otherwise negative situation. Al
though each group represented a dif
ferent aspect of aid - from job retrain
ing to food assistance - a common
theme was for workers to start plan
ning now for the months to come.
The most immediate concern
for workers - the stoppage of their
weekly paycheck - is somewhat re
lieved by unemployment compensa
tion. Kathy Morales and Patti Cook
of the Oregon Employment Depart
ment were present to assist workers
in applying for these benefits which
run 26 weeks. Cook and Morales also
reported that WSFPI has applied to
the US Department of Labor for funds
under the NAFTA Trade Act for re
training or relocating employees
negatively affected by importation of
foreign products. If those funds are
approved, training programs would
be implemented by Central Oregon
Intergovernmental Council (COIC).
Employee concerns about job
related benefits were addressed by
Lupe Katchia of the tribe's Comp and
Benefits Department. She is the per
son to answer any questions about the
status of retirement benefits or possi
bility of early pension withdrawl.
Also present was Penny Rogers
from the Madras office of COIC
which offers retraining funding and
assistance. Rogers and her colleagues
programs with mill employees
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come on
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the men to see at Commodities
Jon Brown, Program Director,
and John Finch, Commodities Assis
tant, are the two personable fellows
who welcome you at 4217 Holiday
Street (down the road from the Fire
Management complex). You are
GD'D
help clients assess skills, identify the
type and availability of work they are
seeking, as well as the training re
quired. COIC also has funds available
for relocation if a worker secures a
new job out of the area and needs fi
nancial help to move.
Rogers works closely with
Carlos Calica and Melinda Poitra of
the Warm Springs Workforce Devel
opment Office, Among the many
other tools they employ as job place
ment specialists, Calica and Poitra are
using the tribal and federal funds they
administer to assist displaced work
ers with application and interview
assistance, resume development, job
training, and referral to other appro
priate sources of help.
Resources are also available at
Central Oregon Community College
(COCC) at Warm Springs to enable a
displaced worker to prepare for new
positions. John Hicks and Marilyn
Hart can help assess the educational -routes
that would best lead to the type
of employment desired or to more
advanced studies.
Gene Keane of the Warm
Springs Small Business Development
Center points out that some workers
have already been operating small
businesses to bring in supplemental
income. An event like a lay-off can
be the stimulus to try to turn that busi
ness into a full-time venture. His of
fice provides a vast array of services
to anyone interested in such a move,
including temporary office space, use
of telephones and computer equip
ment, as well as business planning
advice.
Aware that a layoff can affect
a person's credit, Bruce Engel of the
Tribal Credit Department encourages
his clients to come in and review the
status of their loans before problems
can develop. Possible solutions could
be refinancing, extension of the term
of the loan with correspondingly
lower payments, consolidation, or, in
extreme cases, a moratorium. Engel
states that a client's "good-faith ef
forts" like job searching or retraining
gives him "something to work with"
in restructuring loans. Addressing
these issues early-on is important,
says Engel.
Lori Walker shares with Engel
a similar area of expertise. She is a
over!
1
treated as a valued guest as they de
scribe their operation over cups of
coffee - and often home-cooked
snacks. Basically, Commodities is run
under the auspices of U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture (USDA) and of-
counselor for Bend's independent,
non-profit Consumer Counseling Ser
vice. Her organization helps its cli
ents develop budgets, manage their
relationships with creditors, and fi
nancially survive the layoff.
Jobs are available through the
Tribal Personnel Office and also at
Kah-Nee-Ta. Lois Lesarrly of Tribal
Personnel urges people to come in to
the administration building and either
fill out or update their applications for
positions posted through her office.
Ka-Nee-Ta's Fran Ahearn
(Recreation), Chuck Schmidt
(Grounds), Scott Moses (Rooms), and
Kevin Coimer (Food and Beverage)
were present to point out that between
now and mid-March, the resort will
be hiring approximately 140 new
people as it gears up for the summer
season. Although much of Kah-Nee-Ta's
work is seasonal, the four noted
that employees who are effective and
conscientious often stay on as part of
the year-round crew.
Both Oregon's Office of Adult
and Family Services and Warm
Springs's own Commodities Food
Program strive to provide a safety net
as workers search for new employ
ment. Janet Scott of Family Services
described programs such as tempo
rary financial assistance to needy
families, daycare, food stamps, and
medical programs. It is necessary to
apply for the benefits available from
these programs. Thus Scott encour
ages people to begin the application
process as soon as possible.
John Finch of Warm Springs'
Commodities Food Program de
scribed the opportunities under his
program, a joint effort of the tribes
and the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture. An array of" fresh-frozen meats,
fresh produce, canned fruits and veg
etables, and more are available once
a month to both Indians and non-Indians
on the reservation, and Indians
within a 15-mile radius of Warm
Springs. Finch hopes more people
will come in and apply so they can
take advantage of this program.
Although the negative impact
of the WSFPI layoff cannot be mini
mized, the people present at
Thursday's gathering are ready to use
all their available resources to provide
whatever assistance they can:
fers foodstuffs lo individuals in need.
Indians of any trihul membership liv
ing within 15 miles of Warm Springs
ore eligible, us are non-Indians living
on the Reservation.
An outstanding array of food is
available: fresh vegetables and fruits,
at least two fresh-froen meats and
an assortment of canned and pack
aged goods. Both the Warm Springs
office and the USDA are constantly
adding and deleting products in an
effort to carry items that appeal to
consumers. Also the menu of avail
able foods changes each month.
To apply is eusy - just visit the
Commodities building
where Drown or Finch will help you
fill out a brief questionnaire. Bring
proof of your income. Your tribal per
capita or pension do not count as in
come and your child- or dependent
care costs will be income deductions.
If you are eligible, your application
will be approved within two or three
days.
Brown and Finch point out an
other benefit of their program: you
can qualify while earning more in
come than you are allowed under the
Oregon Trail Program (food stamps).
Although it is best to analyze your
specific income and needs, some cli
ents have found that it is far more ben
eficial for them to enroll in the Com
modities rather than the Oregon Trail
program. You cannot join both plans.
However, you can partake of Com
modities and still receive other Adult
and Family Service Benefits from the
state.
Once approved, you can come
in each month and choose among the
items available on that month's menu.
Finch will take your order, pack it up
for you and even carry it to your car.
You are on your way with food val
ued at about $100 per person. If you
are a family of six, quick multiplica
tion shows what a benefit this can be.
You will be eligible to receive the
same amount of food each month,
even if your income rises - as long it
does not go above the proscribed
limit.
Finch and Brown are enthusi
astic about the merits of the program
they operate. They believe their chal
lenge is to spread the word so more
will take advantage of it. The two are
concerned that many "aren't benefit-
uhekr a Jewess
A grey January afternoon at
shutdown
Oregon Employment Depart
ment - Kathy Morales & Patti Cook
- 475-2382
Warm Springs Comp and Ben
efits - Lupe Katachia 553-3327
COIC, Madras - Penny Rogers
-475-7118
Warm Springs Workforce De
velopment - Carlos Calica and
Melinda Poitra - 553-3324
COCC - Warm Springs - John
Hicks and Marilyn Hart - 553-1428
Warm Springs Small Business
Development Center - Gene Keane
- 553-2229
Tribal Credit Department -Bruce
Engel - 553-3202
Consumer Credit Counseling
Service - Lori Walker - 389-6 1 8 1
Tribal Personnel Office - Lois
ing to the full degree that they
could fotkl-wise." Currently about
250 people are enrolled in the pro
gram. This number often rises dur
ing the winter months as seusonal em
ployees arc laid off.
In an effort to bring more
people over to their building Brown
and Finch are planning monthly ftxxl
demonstrations using groceries avail
able on the current menu. Although
they agree that Finch is the "chef of
the two, they will both be pitching in
to create some tempting dishes. In
conjunction, they plan to provide the
monthly recipe to Spilyay.
Their next "event" will be a
Valentine's Surprise. They are keep
ing the recipe secret until Wednesday
the 14 w hen they hope lo be joined
by many members of the community.
All ure invited, you don't have to be
an enrolled client to uttend.
The event begins at mxn and
goes "until".. ..until the food is gone,
so you might want to get there early
so as not to miss their latest creation.
To call cither Brown or Finch,
dial 553-3422. Their hours arc 8:30
- 4:30, but they arc closed from noon
to one. Or, drop by and see how a
bureaucracy should be run!
T ; r '
John Finch warms up for future
food demos
WSFPI before scheduled shift
Lesarlley - 553-3262
Kah-Nee-Ta Personnel Office
-Scottie Miller -553-1 112
Oregon Adult and Family Ser
vices - Janet Scott - 475-6131
Warm Springs Commodities
Program - John Finch - 553-3422
Multi-family yard sale at
Courtney's on Tenino Road
scheduled for Monday,
February 26, 2001, 9:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. (no early birds,
please).
A craft table will be set up
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