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JANUARY 1, 2021
Smoke Signals
Food Bank news yesteryears
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.”
In reaction to the continuing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic,
the Food Bank will hold January food box distributions on Fridays
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting on Jan. 8. The Food Bank is closed
Friday, Jan. 1, in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday.
“We are asking clients to not come for a food box if they are hav-
ing any symptoms or concerned about their health,” Ambrose said.
“We are limiting our geographic service area to Sheridan to Otis on
Highway 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 quarantined 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 autho-
rized 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 is continuing the Farm Share Rx program with 35
farm shares being distributed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. It
is a first-come, first-served distribution until the shares are depleted.
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@mari-
onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer.
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
• 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 at 10 a.m. Friday,
Jan 22, 2021, using the Zoom conferencing program. Chair: Siobhan Taylor. Contact:
Editorial.Board@grandronde.org.
a look
back...
2016 – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde finalized purchase
of the 31-acre Multnomah Greyhound Park site in Wood Village.
The Tribe closed on the property in December. The site, which was
no longer used for dog racing, was listed for sale at $11.2 million in
2015. “Economic diversification has always been a priority for our
Tribe and our membership,” Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno
said. “We have worked hard since our Tribe was restored to become
self-sufficient, and to provide essential programs for our members.
Striving toward a diversified economy is an objective that helps us
prepare for the future.”
2011 – The Tribal plankhouse
received a name. “achaf-ham-
mi” is a Tualatin-Kalapuya
word meaning “a house built of
cedar planks.” The name was
finalized in December, said
Tribal member Bobby Mercier,
the Tribe’s language and cul-
tural specialist. Henry Zenk, 2011
File photo
an anthropologist and friend
of the Tribe, helped with the translation.
2006 – Tribal Elder Steve Bobb Sr. created a memorial to loggers
who lost their lives on the job. His work, “View from the Top,” was a
bronze statue of a logger at the top of a large tree and was put on dis-
play at Coyote Joe’s restaurant in Willamina. The idea came to Bobb
while he and wife Connie were driving home to Willamina from the
Oregon coast, and the couple saw a memorial dedicated to fishermen
lost at sea. “So I thought, why couldn’t we do that same thing with
people who had lost their lives in the timber industry?” Bobb said.
2001 – Tribal member Tim Holmes was awarded the Paul G. Hearne
Award for leadership. “It’s a tremendous honor to be selected,” Holmes
said. “I would have never dreamed of it.” The awards program was
established in 1999 in honor of the founder of the American Association
of People with Disabilities. The program recognized emerging leaders
with disabilities who demonstrated leadership while having a positive
impact on the community of people with disabilities.
1996 – The Tribe’s Education Department hosted 30 representa-
tives of the Oregon Indian Education Council, an advisory board to
the Oregon Department of Education. Participants were welcomed by
Tribal Council Chair Mark Mercier and Vice Chair Kathryn Harrison.
Tasks that the OIEC was looking to undertake included establishing
of partnerships with school districts and educational institutions,
supporting cultural competence training for teachers, and advocating
for Indian education.
1991 – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde was putting to-
gether a two-part survey to assess the needs and desires of the Tribal
population. One questionnaire was designed to collect socioeconomic,
demographic and health-related information concerning 1,000 Tribal
households. The other questionnaire would assess attitudes of 600
randomly selected Tribal member adults toward economic develop-
ment plans in the service area that included Yamhill, Polk, Marion,
Multnomah, Washington and Tillamook counties.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year incre-
ments through the pages of Smoke Signals.
• 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.
Community Health Program
Medical Transport
Services
• 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 4 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
Medical transportation
services are available to
Tribal members within
the six-county service
area when an alternate
means of transportation
is not available. Advance
notice required.
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 committee and special event board in-person meetings have been
suspended during the Tribe’s reaction to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.)
Please call 503-879-2078
to schedule a reservation.
