4 OCTOBER 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 October 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. 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. SSI recipients eligible for Internet service aid Any household with an individual receiving Supplemental Security Income is eligible to receive discounted Internet service through the Affordable Con- nectivity Program launched by the Federal Communications Commission. Social Security does not count Affordable Connectivity Program assistance as income or a resource for SSI purposes. The program provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward Internet service for eligible households and $75 per month for households on quali- fying Tribal lands. Eligible households also can receive a one-time discount of up to $100 toward purchasing a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers. To enroll in the Connectivity Program, go to www.fcc.gov/asp. 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. Thursday, Oct. 26, 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 Smoke Signals Editor Danielle Harrison at 503-879-4663 or danielle.harrison@grandronde.org. Smoke Signals yesteryears a look back... 2018 – The seventh an- nual Coffee & Conversa- tion was held in southern Oregon to commemorate the 1853 treaty signing at Table Rocks and the September 2011 signing of a memorandum of under- standing with the Bureau of Land Management and 2018 File photo The Nature Conservancy to manage the Table Rocks area north of Medford. “I hope our joint efforts are helping turn the dial to a better place,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said in a conference room of the Courtyard Marriott Hotel adjacent to Medford’s airport. “From the smallest insects to the birds and wildlife there, all are important to us.” 2013 – The Grand Ronde Tribe brought home four first-place awards at the 10th annual Traditional Dugout Canoe Race held during the Mill-luck Salmon Celebration and Canoe Races in North Bend. The four first-place awards were given in the Co-Ed, Youth, Women’s and Men’s races. 2008 – The Tribe held a Chankal Celebration after pieces of rock, likely used by the Kalapuya people and other Tribes from across the Northwest, were found on a property it had purchased on Skyline Road in Salem. The rocks were recognized as fertility artifacts from thousands of years ago. The Tribe purchased the property in 2007. 2003 – A sunrise blessing ceremony was held at Portland State University’s new Native American Student and Community Center. The student center, built with the help of a $250,000 grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, was a large, open communal structure located on the PSU campus. It provided a place for commu- nity activities, ceremonial and social functions, community outreach programs, storytelling and art activities. 1998 – The Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Grand Ronde Water Association in a final effort to end a yearlong disagreement over the cost of a water hook-up for the Tribe’s Grand Meadows Housing Project. The two sides were locked in a dispute over initial water hook-up fees. The Tribe had agreed to pay $2,500 for a new water hookup, but after the project was complete, it received a bill for $92,500 instead. The Tribe attempted to solve the dispute informally and was unsuccessful, then through proposed arbitration, which was rejected by the Water Association. 1993 – A groundbreaking for Spirit Mountain Resort included tra- ditional ceremonies as well as statements from Tribal Council Chair Mark Mercier, Vice Chair Kathryn Harrison and Spirit Mountain Development Corp. General Manager Bruce Thomas. Additionally, a committee comprised of Harrison, Merle Holmes and Tammy Cook were working with historians and others in an effort to incorporate the Tribe’s cultural heritage into the final design. 1988 – Ray McKnight, Marvin Kimsey and Merle Holmes won the Tribal Council election, garnering 98, 77 and 74 votes, respectively. McKnight was the only incumbent re-elected as Gene LaBonte and Merle Leno did not receive enough votes. Chairman Mark Mercier thanked both for their service, noting that the process of getting the Tribe’s Reservation approved had stretched over the past five years and was “no cakewalk.” Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in- crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.