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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2020)
4 MARCH 1, 2020 Food Bank provides boxes, seeks help The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is op- erated 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 auto- matically 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, March 7; • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 13; • 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 18; • And 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 27. 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 designated 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 Com- munity 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 repack- ing 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@ marionpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer. n 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 Groshong. • 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, March 20, 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 Governance 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 Commu- nity 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: Rich VanAtta. To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org. Smoke Signals SMC ends bingo By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Bingo is bing-gone at Spirit Mountain Casino. Due to low attendance, Spirit Mountain Casino held its final bingo session on Thursday, Feb. 27. “This decision was carefully made after extensive efforts over the past several years, which included addi- tional retail marketing, a new ad- vertising campaign and numerous promotions in attempts to increase business levels,” said Marketing Director Shawna Ridgebear. “De- spite all these efforts, the casino was unable to raise bingo customer attendance.” Ridgebear said bingo was operat- ing with an average of 30 players and it needs a minimum of 50 play- er buy-ins to break even. During January, bingo was closed more than 30 percent of the time due to extreme low attendance. “We are grateful to all of the guests who have supported bingo over the years and hope they will continue to find a different form of entertainment at Spirit Mountain Casino,” Ridgebear said. Ridgebear said the casino has been offering bingo since soon after it opened in 1995 although there was a previous closing during a major slot expansion. Bingo again was offered starting in 2008. Five Bingo Department employ- ees have all been offered other positions within the casino. “We also greatly appreciate the Bingo employees’ dedication and unwavering commitment over the years,” Ridgebear added. n yesteryears a look back... 2015 – The Tribe filled the top spot in the Education Department that had been vacant for three months. Leslie Riggs, 47, a former supervisor for the Tribe’s 477 Program, moved into the job. He moved from managing six employees to almost 50, and said he strived to be the kind of manager who “gets out of the way and lets people do their jobs.” Bringing in grants and other new funding sources, creating new opportunities for the department and expanding the availability of a solid educational foundation for Tribal membership were among his top priorities. 2010 – The Tribal Li- brary received a $325,000 Indian Community De- velopment Block Grant that would help double the size of the current 1,390-square-foot build- ing. Added to $108,334 in Tribal matching funds, the federal grant would pay for the addition of the 1,500 square feet, and 2010 File photo address one of the most pressing needs on the Grand Ronde Tribal campus. 2005 – A joint session of the Oregon Legislature was held in honor of Native American Day and the kickoff of the state’s Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commemoration. The Grand Ronde Honor Guard posted the colors and Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison offered an invocation. The day also included basket weaving demonstrations, a talk about Native American perceptions of Lewis & Clark, and an exhibition drum group and dancers. 2000 – Former head of the Oregon Corrections Department and Tribal Elder Bob Watson was selected as interim executive officer and president of Spirit Mountain Casino. “The dedicated and capable staff of Spirit Mountain Casino has made it the premier casino in the Northwest and Oregon’s favorite attraction,” Watson said. “I’m proud to have this chance to be more closely associated with them and to be of service to my Tribe.” 1995 – Tribal Council Chair Mark Mercier spoke at a symposium at American University in Washington, D.C. He was one of several guest speakers from Tribes across the United States. The topic of the symposium was, “The Republican Congress – Federal Indian Policy for a New Millennium.” Mercier and Tribal Council member Ed Lars- en also met with representatives from Sen. Mark Hatfield’s office to discuss some of the projects and plans the Tribe had for the future. 1990 – Hearings were set for the future of Tribal trust funds. The purpose was to collect information from the Tribal membership on the draft policies for Housing, Health and Education trusts. The information collected during the hearings would be forwarded to Tribal Council and reviewed for consideration in the formulation of the final policies. Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in- crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
