S moke S ignals
FEBRUARY 15, 2016
7
Goal is to raise awareness of food issues
MEETING continued
from front page
food bank that serves more than
40,000 people in need, including
14,000 children. People receive food
through the organization’s food
share network, which includes the
Tribe’s iskam mfkhmfk haws food
pantry on Grand Ronde Road.
A food access meeting called
“Let’s Talk About Food” was held
in Grand Ronde on Thursday, Jan.
28, at the Tribe’s Adult Education
building.
A dinner of beef stew and fry-
bread was provided to as many
as 40 guests and topics up for dis-
cussion included access to grocery
stores, gardening alternatives and
progress, learning more about hun-
ger and volunteer opportunities.
The audience included Tribal El-
ders, Tribal members, community
members and staff members. Tribal
Council member Denise Harvey at-
tended as did Spirit Mountain Com-
munity Fund Director Kathleen
George and her husband, Planning
Department Manager Rick George.
The stew was provided by DeLoe
and her kitchen staff and the fry-
bread was made by Tribal Elder
Faye Smith.
Stickel, who is the Marion-Polk
Food Share Community Assistant
coordinator, led the discussion
along with Mercier as they played
the role of hosts and facilitators.
“We have been meeting for a year
now to talk about food access,” said
Stickel. “Tonight we will have an
open discussion of ideas and then
we will prioritize.”
Stickel and her staff jotted down
ideas from the roundtable discus-
sions on large notepads and posted
them to the wall community meet-
ing-style.
“I’m glad to see this many people
here tonight. Our goal is to raise
awareness,” said Mercier. “There
is a food revolution going on across
the country.”
Dixon-McDonald said that Mar-
ion-Polk Food Share is trying to
look at the bigger issues related to
access of quality food. He is Mar-
ion-Polk Food Share’s director of
programs.
“Francene has done an amazing
job as we have all seen with that
facility (iskam mfkhmfk haws),”
said Dixon-McDonald. “From the
beginning we have wanted to do
more as an organization. We are
interested in looking at the bigger
picture of food access, at the eco-
nomic issues, at the poverty issues
and at ways that we can be a part
of some longer term solutions to
the problem of food insecurity and
food access.”
Dixon-McDonald said that Mari-
on-Polk Food Share focuses on pro-
viding emergency food assistance
and working with families living
on limited resources to increase
self-sufficiency in relation to access-
ing food resources.
“Our goal is to listen to you all,
listen to the community and invite
you to join us make healthy food
more accessible,” said Dixon-Mc-
Donald. “We want to listen and
understand what the needs are
and what the challenges are here
in Grand Ronde and to figure out
ways to support that.”
Mercier and Stickel shared the
results of a survey sent to area res-
idents in 2015 asking about food re-
sources and access to healthy food.
Stickel said the Food Access and
Nutrition Survey told the FACT
Team that 79 percent of area res-
idents travel between 10 and 20
miles to shop for food. The survey
also revealed that as many as 48
percent of the 222 respondents
Softball practice
said they have to travel more than
20 miles to access quality, healthy
food.
Mercier said the group’s effort is
an intergovernmental collaboration
that will benefit the entire commu-
nity, not just members of the Tribe.
Stickel said that 90 percent of
the survey respondents said they
get their food from a large grocery
store and that 83 percent rely on
their personal vehicle to get food.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of
food issues and through our efforts
increase access to affordable and
nutritious food to the residents of the
West Valley,” said Mercier. “The sur-
vey identified the desire for a grocery
store as a top concern and one of the
things we learned is that transporta-
tion issues are big out here.”
Mercier said that 52 percent of
survey respondents want a large
grocery store in Grand Ronde
and yet 49 percent said the cost
of healthy food is a barrier to a
healthy lifestyle.
Also, the survey found that 50
percent said they wanted more
fresh fruits and vegetables at the
local corner market.
Mercier said that food deserts
are mostly located in rural areas
and that Indian Reservations are
home to some of the most remote
food deserts in the nation.
“A food desert is when you don’t
have access to nutritious foods,”
said Mercier. “There are very few
places where there is no food; it’s
just a question of ‘Do you have
healthy, affordable food?’ That’s
the whole goal of the FACT Team
and this meeting; ‘What can we as
a community do to improve food ac-
cess and have better food options?’ ”
Roundtable discussions focused
on barriers to food, current resourc-
es in the community that provide
food options and opportunities to
improve food access.
Mercier said the FACT Team
will continue to meet monthly and
that they would be looking to work
with the Tribe’s Culture Committee
to see if there was a possibility of
the two groups combining efforts on
the annual First Foods Ceremony.
Audience members then placed
colored dots on the posted notes
indicating which ideas they sup-
ported the most. The top ideas,
according to the audience members
present, were establishing a local
grocery store in the image of Safe-
way or a larger market store.
The idea of resurrecting or re-em-
phasizing local hunting and fish-
ing classes and after-school clubs
received the second most interest
and local events like a food fair or
a chef’s competition featuring chefs
from Spirit Mountain Casino also
received many votes. n
CPA returning to Grand Ronde
Doris Rose, a certified public accountant, will be returning to the
Grand Ronde community.
She will be in the Grand Ronde Housing Department office on
Tuesday and Thursday through April 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
She will be at the Portland office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24.
To schedule an appointment, call 503-293-4128. n
If you suffer from: neck or back pain, headaches, have
been injured or seek wellness care for your family,
chiropractic care may beneÞt you!
CALL (971) 266-3450 or go to nunleychiropractic.com to
schedule an appointment!
Contributed photo
Raven Harmon, left, and Tribal members Anesia Ainam, second from
left, Amaryssa Mooney, second from right, and Amelia Mooney, right,
participated in a softball workout with Teresa Wilson, middle, in
Clackamas recently. Wilson has coached at many colleges, including
the University of Oregon, and was named the National Collegiate
Athletic Association National and Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1989
when she was head coach of the Ducks’ softball team. She was also the
head coach of the 2005 USA Elite National Team. Wilson is currently
the coach of Tribal member Kaelynn Simmons’ Northwest Batbusters
softball team and that connection gave the other girls an opportunity
to practice with her. The girls are putting to use the skills they learned
from Wilson now and have dreams of playing college-level softball.
*We accept most
insurance, including the
Shasta tribal plan in
addition to cash patients.
AVAILABLE TREATMENTS:
-spinal & extremity adjustments
-soft tissue massage
-trigger point therapy
-hot packs
-therapeutic ultrasound
-electric muscle stimulation
-therapeutic exercises
Dr. Ashley Nunley, DC is a Grand
Ronde tribal member providing
chiropractic care at:
Grand Ronde Health & Wellness:
9-5 every Mon & Wed
Portland Satellite OfÞce:
9-5 every Tuesday