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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2007)
8 NOVEMBER 1,2007 Smoke Signals Barer cupboards: Grand Ronde Food Bank needs help By Ron Karten Smike Si finals staff writer With an increasing need for food, the Grand Ronde Community He source Center's Food Hank is ask ing for help. And it is not alone. Across Oregon and the nation, food contributions are down. Way down. The statewide Oregon Food Hank and the regional supplier that delivers to Grand Iionde, Marion Folk Food Share, each have seen drastic reductions this year in the amount of food available to help the needy. Oregon Food Hank's Web site reported: "OFB continues to see a severe decline in U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities. Dur ing the last two months, USDA commodities dropped an additional 300,000 pounds. Overall, during the last four years, USDA commodities have dropped 52 percent or more than 6 million pounds. "Food industry donations are down 1.1 million pounds in com parison to the same period last year. The combination of a strong consumer market, high commodity prices, increased biofuel demand, and increased efficiency in food manufacturing and internation al markets means both national and local sources of food are way down." "Overall, the Oregon Food Bank is down 75 percent," said Grand Iionde Food Bank Director Alisa Larson. "We've seen a 25 percent to 75 percent reduction on all of their items." The Grand Ronde Food Bank's cupboards are not bare. However, IF YOU NEED HELP The Grand Ronde Commu nity Resource Center is at the end of North Street in Grand Ronde, behind Hunnsville in the old Knox farmhouse. The center's Food Bank is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. It also provides senior meals, food preservation and a community garden. For more information, contact Alisa Lar son at 503-879-5731. the food bank is down to a three- to five-day supply of basics compared with its usual inventory of five to seven days. Still, needs are up again this year. From 252 families served in 1999, the food bank's first year, it has so far this year served more than 2,000 families with the busiest time of year still ahead. Service to individ ual clients has increased from 744 in 1999 to 6,808 so far this year. During 2006, the food bank dis tributed almost 209,000 pounds of food. Most wanted food items include canned meats, soups, chili, vegeta bles and fruit, with rice, cornmeal and oatmeal also in short supply. Local food contributions have been very generous, Larson said, in cluding the Knight family in Elder housing that donated a whole truck load more than 1,500 pounds of food last month. St. Michael's Catholic Church, Schindler's farm stand and the Grand Ronde Station all have made significant contributions, said Larson, with community member : A ,- r A .vTT Photo By Toby McClary Grand Rond Food Bank Director Alisa Larson, left, and Nutritional Outreach cook Angela Arndt stand in front of empty shelves at Grand Rondo's Food Bank. Food contributions are down across the nation. Food Bank Numbers Increasing 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 y- 33M 7 Families Individuals I 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 YTD Frank McPherson donating 19 to 20 dozen fresh eggs each week. "We're not turning people away," said Larson, "but there's quite a reduction in what is available. There's less of everything and there are things that there are none of." "They have some stuff, but not enough," said homeless Tribal member Kietra Nielsen, 23. "They have the best food of any (food bank) that I've been to, but (at present) no potatoes and meat. Everything else was pretty good. They gave us a lot of vegetables, that's for sure." Nielsen moved from Montana a few weeks ago and has been camp ing in Grand Ronde while working with the Tribal Social Services network to find a place to live. On campus this year, Genifer Grout and Shanna Eide, who work at the Health Clinic, are developing iunaraisers tor em ployees of the Health Clinic, Wellness and Adult Foster Care. Together, they are challenging the rest of the Tribal depart ments, led by Tribal members Shannon Simi and Angella McCallister, who work in Social Ser vices and Cultural Resources, respec tively, said Human Resources special ist Steve O'Harra. O'Harra takes a lead ing role in the effort every year. In 2006, the Tribal employees collected more than 10,000 pounds of food that was split between the Grand Ronde Food Bank and the Grand Sheramina Food Bank serving Grand Ronde, Willamina and Sheridan. This year, the Tribal employee ef fort is working toward two distribu tions, one before Thanksgiving and one at the end of the year's efforts, on Dec. 17, O'Harra said. Planning was just getting started in late October this year for a Nov. 5 Kickoff Lunch at the Community Center. Before that, the Culture Commit tee had already offered to collect canned food at the Nov. 18 Res toration Pow-wow. The summer pow-wow food collection in August netted 375 pounds for the Grand Ronde Food Bank. In addition, Tribal Elder Linda Brandon, as Culture Committee sponsor of the effort, resolved with other committee members, includ ing Tribal Elders Bob Tom, Pat Al len, Patsy Pullin, Donna Casey and Carol Logan, and Tribal Cultural Resources Director David Lewis, "that we would all donate cans of food every time we have a meeting for Culture, and when we set the barrel up for the pow-wow, we're all going to be there and promote the food drive." Among fundraisers of recent years, staff participated in a Thanksgiving turkey bowling con test and a 5050 raffle contest. "Expect a lot of activities," said O'Harra. "It's a worthy cause and we're trying to have some fun do ing it." B 4 Congratulations to Danaee'Towner and Leo Ayala on the birth of their beautiful baby girl MAC IE LAROSE Love, Grandma Diane and family. Congratulations to Kyle Towner and Jessica Cavan on the birth of their son Karsen Jacob Love, Grandma Diane and family. f y. 3,1-', t V .'.I 1 ijiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiib ( - Congratulations to Joe & Syd Lane on the birth 1 of their baby boy Gavin Michael Love, Grandma Diane and family. fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitirr Happy 7th Birthday Mia We love you, Mom, Marcus, Miguel and Lisa. .?- '- t- -
