4
JULY 1, 2020
Food Bank providing
boxes on Fridays in July
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.”
In reaction to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Food Bank
will be holding July food distributions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.
“We are asking clients to not come for a food box if they are having
any symptoms or concerned about their health,” Ambrose said. “We are
going to limit our geographic service area to Sheridan to Otis on High-
way 18 and Sheridan to Hebo on Highway 22. We are asking clients and
volunteers to wash their hands immediately upon entry to the building.
Our lobby is closed until further notice.
“Food box distribution is happening outside while maintaining a safe
distance between clients. We are sanitizing and keeping the food quar-
antined for three days before distribution. Pre-made boxes are available
on distribution days, limited to two days of food for two adults. Clients
within our geographic service area are still welcome to visit us weekly.”
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 designated person can pick up a food box
on your behalf. The authorization is good for one year.
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 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. The next meeting will be held Friday,
July 24, using the Zoom teleconferencing program. 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 Community
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.
(Editor’s note: All in-person committee and special event board
meetings have been suspended during the Tribe’s
reaction to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.)
Smoke Signals
yesteryears
a look
back...
2015 – The Willamina School Board approved a new policy regard-
ing flag displays that accommodated a request from Tribal Council
Chairman Reyn Leno to hang the Grand Ronde Tribe’s flag in the
school gym. The Tribe’s flag would hang next to the U.S. and Oregon
flags at the district’s schools for its approximately 30 percent Native
American student population to see.
2010 – The Tribally funded,
$1 million Grand Ronde Fire
Station opened at McPherson
and Grand Ronde roads. The
new fire station would be oper-
ated and managed by the West
Valley Fire District and have
two firefighters assigned per
shift to provide fire and emer-
gency medical services to the
File photo
Grand Ronde area 24 hours a 2010
day, seven days a week. The
new fire station included three vehicle bays, three dorm rooms,
kitchen, laundry, meeting room with workout equipment, storage
area and two offices.
2005 – The Grand Ronde and Siletz Tribes broke ground on a 15-
acre, multi-use project in Keizer, which would be known as Chemawa
Station. “It’s a time of celebration,” Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy said. She added that the plans had been al-
most four years in the making. The project was expected to include
110,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, professional office, light
industrial and flexible space. The site was originally part of the
Chemawa Indian School property.
2000 – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde signed an
agreement with the American Museum of Natural History in New
York City to ensure Tribal access to the Willamette Meteorite. The
Tribe sought access as a way to preserve its religious, historical
and cultural relationships with the 15.5-ton meteorite traditionally
known as “Tomanowos.” “I can’t begin to tell you how much this
means to us,” Tribal Council Chair Kathryn Harrison said. “Since
the termination of our Tribe by the federal government in 1954, we
have worked hard to gather our people together to share our unique
and important past. This agreement goes even further because it
looks toward our future. I consider it to be one of the outstanding
milestones we’ve reached for our Tribal members.”
1995 – Tribal Council approved construction of a 28,000-square-
foot Health & Wellness Clinic in Grand Ronde. The clinic would
provide services to Tribal members regardless of where they reside
and employ 50 to 60 people. “Indian Health Service appropriated
the funding for the planning and design of the clinic,” Human Ser-
vices Division Manager Cheryle A. Kennedy said. She added that
the Tribe also was exploring funding options for construction. The
next steps in the process included site selection, securing financing
and selecting a construction company.
1990 – No edition available.
1985 – Tribal Council continued to meet with the Bureau of Land
Management on the Reservation Plan. The council expected to have
a draft of the plan soon. “The process of working with BLM has taken
longer than anticipated,” a Smoke Signals article stated. “Through
various meetings, the Tribal Council has submitted proposals to
the BLM. Counterproposals from the BLM have enabled the Tribal
Council to come closer (to) a draft of the Reservation Plan.”
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
