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JANUARY 1, 2020
Smoke Signals
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 automatically
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, Jan. 4;
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10;
• 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15;
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24;
• And 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1.
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 authorized
representative form and that person can pick up a food box on your
behalf. The authorization is good for one year.
The Food Bank will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20, in observance of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In addition, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center’s Community
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.
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@marion-
polkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer.
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. Next meeting is scheduled for 10
a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, in the Employment Services Building conference
room. 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 Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Gover-
nance Center. Chair: Debi Anderson.
• Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday
of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair:
Bryan Langley.
• Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of the
month in the Molalla Room of the Health & Wellness Center. Chair:
Bernadine Shriver.
• Housing Grievance Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the
month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Simone Auger.
• 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.
• TERO Commission meets at 10 a.m. the first Monday of the month
in the Employment Services building. Chair: Russell Wilkinson.
• Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month
at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Interim Chair: Jon
R. George.
• Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday
of the month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: TBD.
To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator
Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.
2015 – The Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde filed
an appeal of U.S. District
Court Judge Barbara Jacobs
Rothstein’s ruling in favor of
the Department of the Interi-
or’s decision to take land into
trust for the Cowlitz Indian
Tribe near La Center, Wash.
File photo
The Cowlitz Tribe had been 2005
trying since 2002 to take ap-
proximately 152 acres into trust near La Center so it could build
a casino on that property.
2010 – The Tribe began doing something that was suspended
most of the previous two years, selling timber on the Reservation.
Natural Resources Department Manager Michael Wilson said the
timber market was slowly showing improvement, which made it
worthwhile for the Tribe to once again sell timber. The recent Big
Toe sale received seven bidders and sold for $267 per 1,000 board
feet.
2005 – Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy was
selected to open the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on behalf
of the Tribe and Spirit Mountain Casino in Portland. Additionally,
past Tribal Council Chair Kathryn Harrison and the Grand Ronde
Honor Guard were selected to lead an invocation and bring in the
flags to open the event.
2000 – Tribal Elders surprised Tribal Council Chair Kathryn Har-
rison during a holiday party at the Community Center. Harrison
had recently been named one of three Oregon Women of the Year by
the Oregon Commission for Women. “Kathryn was both surprised
and speechless,” Elders Committee Chair Sharon Hanson said.
1995 – Construction and planning for the Tribe’s new casino were
on schedule. Spirit Mountain Development Corp. Director Bruce
Thomas said that coordination with the state on traffic diversion
construction on Highway 18 was an ongoing process, with permit
approval expected soon. Most entry-level jobs started at $6.50 an
hour and the Tribe established a training program at Chemeketa
Community College for Tribal members who wanted casino jobs.
1990 – No January edition available.
1985 – Tribal Council authorized its general manager to devel-
op and submit a proposal to Housing and Urban Development to
construct a 4,000-square-foot social services facility to be located
near the depot. The $250,000 proposal was competing for funding
with proposals from 33 other Northwest Tribes. “We are optimis-
tic that our proposal will receive favorable reviews,” said General
Manager Jim St. Martin.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year
increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.
LISTEN
TO SMOKE SIGNALS
55 PODCASTS
Gr a nd R o nde’s
lo nge s t -serv ing
e mplo yee,
Tre s a Mer cier
“The Years of Service Awards on Thursday, Dec.
19, is Grand Ronde’s way of appreciating its
long-time employees. Tresa Mercier is not only
an award recipient, she is also Grand Ronde’s
longest-serving employee. She came on the
Smoke Signals podcast to talk about her time
here and the changes she has seen since her first
day in 1984.”
To listen to Tresa Mercier, go to www.spreaker.
com and search for “Smoke Signals podcasts”
or go to the Smoke Signals’ Facebook page and
follow the link.
For more information contact
Kamiah Koch at (503) 879-1461
or kamiah.koch@grandronde.org
Ad by Samuel Briggs III
