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MARCH 1, 2024
Food Bank news
The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is operated
by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the fi ght 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 March 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 fi ll 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 email for the Food Bank calendar and events, as
well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook.
The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider. Contact Ambrose
at 503-879-3663 or fambrose@marionpolkfoodshare.org for more
information or to volunteer. n
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
• Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Gro-
shong.
• Culture Committee meets as needed at the Grand Ronde Food
Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Chair: Fran-
cene Ambrose.
• Editorial Board meets monthly. The next meeting will be held at
10:30 a.m. Friday, March 15 via Zoom. Contact Chair Mia Prickett
at Editorial.Board@grandronde.org for the meeting link.
• 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 fi rst and third Wednesday
of the month in the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Carmen Robertson.
• Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Gov-
ernance 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:
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 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the
month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Shayla
Myrick-Meyer.
• Powwow Special Event Board meets as needed at the Community
Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037. Chair:
Dana Ainam.
• TERO Commission meets at 10 a.m. the second 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. Chair: Jon
R. George.
• Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the fi rst Tuesday
of the month in the Quenelle House. Chair: Raymond Petite.
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...
2019 – A 4.5-ounce sliver
of the sacred meteorite To-
manowos was returned to
the Grand Ronde Tribe. The
meteorite slice was repatriat-
ed by Evergreen Aviation &
Space Museum in McMinnville
during a ceremony at the mu-
seum’s theater. Those gathered
watched in respectful silence 219
File photo
as Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy accepted
the piece in a red cloth-lined box from Evergreen Museum Collections
Manager Lydia Heins.
2014 – Tribal Council voted to purchase a 17.5-acre island in the
Clackamas River. Apsug Itcalxum, “the area of Eagle Creek” in the
Clackamas Chinook language, is located west of Eagle Creek and near
Bonnie Lure State Park within the Tribe’s ceded lands. “The history
of the area is very important to the Tribe,” Tribal Land and Culture
Manager Jan Looking Wolf Reibach said. “In addition to being a sum-
mer fi shing place for the Clackamas Chinook people, this was near
the birthplace of John Wacheno, son of Chief Wacheno, who signed
the Willamette Valley Treaty for the Tribe.”
2009 – Ten-year-old Tribal member Brayden Langley won the Dai-
sy/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Youth Video Contest. His gun
safety video featured quick cuts and bright photos interspersed with
his commentary on the importance of gun safety. Brayden’s prize was
a paid trip to attend the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Elk Camp
& Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Fort Worth, Texas. He also
received a Daisy Ryder BB gun and gift card from Cabela’s.
2004 – Spirit Mountain Community Fund was awarded the Region-
al Cooperative Project Award by the Mid-Willamette Valley Council
of Governments at the COG Annual Awards meeting. The award
honored “a project or initiative that has best exemplifi ed regional,
intergovernmental cooperation.”
1999 – A committee was formed to help set up a food bank in Grand
Ronde. The Grand Ronde Community Resource Center committee had
elected offi cers and written a mission statement.
1994 – Several Tribal members attended the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde Visitation Day at Oregon State University in Corval-
lis. The day’s activities included touring the campus and visiting the
offi ces of various Indian programs.
1989 – The Tribe’s Social Services Department sponsored a Positive
Indian Parenting class. Frank Peterson, parent trainer, traveled to
Grand Ronde to teach ways in which to better parent children. Par-
ticipants included single parents, soon-to-be-parents and longtime
parents. Tribal Council members Russ Leno and Ray McKnight were
among those who attended the workshop.
1984 – The interim Tribal Council was sworn in at the Saint Michael
Catholic Church cafeteria by Bureau of Indian Affairs offi cial John
Weddel. Kathryn Harrison, Dean Mercier, Candy Robertson, Frank
Harrison, Darrel Mercier, Mark Mercier, Russ Leno, Merle Leno and
Henry Petite were sworn in. Thirty-fi ve people attended the event.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in fi ve-year incre-
ments through the pages of Smoke Signals.