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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2018)
4 NOVEMBER 15, 2018 Food Bank provides boxes, seeks help The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is operated by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the fight to end hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry. Recipients of SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance automat- ically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. No one will be turned away in need of a food box. “We believe that everyone deserves to have enough to eat,” Food Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose says. “You are welcome to get a food box at each of our regular weekly distributions. No one will be turned away in need of a food box.” Upcoming food box distribution dates will be: • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 (holiday food boxes); • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. The Food Bank will be closed during the Thanksgiving week of Nov. 19-23. People must check in 15 minutes before closing to receive a food box. If you need immediate assistance, call 211 or visit 211info.org. Those who are unable to pick up a food box can fill out an autho- rized representative form and that person can pick up a food box on your behalf. The authorization is good for one year. In addition, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center’s Commu- nity Health Team will be setting up the mobile clinic at the pantry on the first Friday of every month. The Food Bank continues to seek volunteers to help with repacking food, putting food on the shelves, handing out food boxes, end-of- month inventory and picking up food donations at area stores. Vol- unteers are especially needed for the holiday food box distribution from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Call to ensure someone is available to assist. People also can sign up for a monthly e-mail for the Food Bank calendar and events, as well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook. The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider. Call Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or contact her at fambrose@mari- onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer. n Appointments available in Optometry at the Health & Wellness Center S moke S ignals Committee & Special Event Board meeting days and times Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards: • Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Gro- shong. • Culture Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Grand Ronde Food Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Chair: Francene Ambrose. • Editorial Board meets monthly at the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center’s conference room, 8720 Grand Ronde Road. Next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30. The public is welcome to attend. Chair: Siobhan Taylor. Contact: Editorial.Board@grandronde. org. • Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook. • Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Penny DeLoe. • Enrollment Board meets the third Wednesday of the month in Room 204 of the Governance Center. Chair: Ann Lewis. • Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Tyson Mercier. • Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Monday of the month in the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Patti Tom-Martin. • Housing Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Kristy Criss-Lawson. • Powwow Special Event Board meets monthly at noon at the Com- munity Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037. Chair: Dana Ainam. • Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: TBD. • Tribal Employment Rights Commission meets 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 3, in the Employment Services building, Room 118A. Chair: Russell Wilkinson. • Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: Raymond Petite. To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org. • Comprehensive eye exams • Diabetic eye exams • Red eye treatment • Excellent selection of frames Call 503-879-2097 for an appointment. n ‘This is kind of an exciting opportunity’ DIRECTOR continued from front page assistance. “We obtained one of the first di- rect loans in Indian gaming without the use of a management company,” he says on LinkedIn. “I oversaw construction, built the manage- ment team and implemented all of the policies, procedures and sys- tems used in the operation.” After leaving Spirit Mountain Casino, Thomas worked for nine years for Polaris Gaming Group, which developed four Tribal casi- nos, two in Washington state and two in California. For 16 years, he also was chief executive officer of Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, Calif., leaving that position in October 2017. Thomas, 65, graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and English and received a Master’s of Business Administration and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Willamette University College of Law in Salem. The Economic Development di- rector position at the Tribe has been vacant since April 2016 when Sajeed “Titu” Asghar resigned fol- lowing the Tribe’s failed investment in Microgreen Polymers in Arling- ton, Wash. “This is kind of an exciting oppor- tunity,” Thomas said. “It’s working for my own Tribe and I think this is something I can do well and can help the Tribe. So I just decided to give it a shot.” Thomas said his first priorities will be re-organizing the dormant Economic Development Depart- ment, discerning if there is a busi- ness plan, criteria for investment and if there is even a consensus on investment criteria. “I need to sort of figure all of those things out and that’s a process, and I intend to start as soon as I start working,” he said. Thomas said he moved to Wil- sonville in May to be closer to his family and said he is happy to be returning to Tribal employment. n Grand Ronde Housing Department Board seeks community input The Grand Ronde Housing Board is inviting Tribal members and Trib- al housing residents to provide input to assist its members in carrying out its advisory role to the Housing Department and Tribal Council regarding policy guidance. The Housing Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the Housing Department conference room, 28450 Tyee Road. Its chair is Kristy Criss-Lawson. For more informa- tion, contact the Housing Department at 503-879-2401. n
