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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2023)
4 SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 Food Bank news 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.” The Food Bank will hold September food box distributions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays. In addition, there is a light food box (mostly bread and produce) distribution from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. The Food Bank is closed on Friday, Sept. 22, for National Native American Day. People must check in 15 minutes before closing to receive a food box on both days. 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@mari- onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer. Drop box installed The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department, 9655 Grand Ronde Road, has a medication drop box located in the front lobby. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The drop box is for any prescribed or over-the-counter medication. If the containers are too large to fit in the drop box, please repackage them in a zip-lock plastic bag. Tribal Police employees cannot handle the medications so the person dropping them off must repackage them. Needles and liquids are not allowed in the drop box. Tribal Police suggest mixing liquid medications with cat litter or coffee grounds and then throwing them away with the household trash. For more information, call 503-879-1821. 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 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29, remotely via Zoom. Chair: Mia Prickett. Contact: Editorial. Board@grandronde.org. • Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the last 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: Carmen Robertson. • 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. Acting Chair: Reyn Leno. • Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of the month in the Molalla Room of the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Darlene Aaron. • Housing Grievance Board meets at 4 p.m. the third Thursday of the month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Shayla Myrick-Meyer. • 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 Tuesday 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 yesteryears a look back... 2018 – U.S. Rep. Su- zanne Bonamici visited Grand Ronde and toured Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. Oth- ers on the tour includ- ed Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Tribal Council member Denise Harvey, Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, and Tribal File photo Council member Brenda 2018 Tuomi. After the tour, Bonamici talked with Tribal officials about police funding and Chemewa Indian School. 2013 – Tribal Council voted to disenroll 13 members for violating the dual enrollment provision of the Tribal Constitution. Seventeen other cases were sent back to the Tribal Enrollment Committee for re-examination. The meeting began with Tribal Council member Chris Mercier moving to suspend the process until the Tribe could find a way to help those facing disenrollment. The motion failed 5-4. 2008 – Tribal member Kass Ritchey, 24, became a homeowner using the Tribe’s Down Payment Assistance Program. He ap- proached the Housing Authority for assistance at the suggestion of his mother, and three months later was a homeowner. The down payment assistance program helped make homeownership become a reality for many Tribal members, issuing almost 900 grants since its inception in 1990. 2003 – The Hall of Legends opened at Spirit Mountain Casino and included 53 feet linking the casino with the lodge next door. The hall told the story of the Tribe. Elaine LaBonte, Tribal management mentee, organized the project by gathering ideas from staffers and the Tribe’s Cultural Resources Department. They gathered hun- dreds of artifacts, artwork and stories for the hall. 1998 – Tribal members elected three Tribal Council members in the Sept. 5 election. They were Ed Larsen, Kathryn Harrison and Bob Haller. Tribal Council announced the winners at a General Council meeting. Approximately 80 eligible Tribal members voted in person and the rest were in the form of absentee ballots. It was also the first year the votes were counted using a ballot tabulation company instead of a hand count by the Election Board. 1993 – Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts signed a gaming compact with Tribal officials, marking the end of negotiations between the state and the Tribe to build a Tribally-operated casino. It was the Tribe’s hope that the gaming facility would be in operation within a year, employ 600 people and offer a badly needed economic boost to the area. The gaming facility was to include a 1,000-seat bingo hall, video machines, keno and a buffet-style restaurant. Future plans included a hotel, golf course, retail space and other recre- ational amenities. 1988 – The Tribe celebrated its fourth annual powwow with more than 1,300 attendees. “Our powwow gets bigger every year and we are indebted to all who helped prepare for our event,” Tribal Council Chairman Mark Mercier said. “Believe me, it takes a lot of careful planning and hard work to make an event of this magnitude a success.” Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.