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SMOKE SIGNALS
APRIL 15, 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 April 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, April 19 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.
NWIHA off ers youth scholarships
The Northwest Indian Housing Association is offering youth scholarship
opportunities.
Applications can be obtained by visiting www.nwiha.org and clicking on
the Youth Scholarship Program tab.
All applications and supporting documents must be submitted by email
to info@nwiha.org by 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 30.
All applicants, selected or not, will be notifi ed of the NWIHA executive
committee decisions. Successful applicants will be recognized at a banquet
held on Tuesday, May 7.
Complete instructions are contained in the application form. For more
information, contact info@nwiha.org or 360-220-9212. n
yesteryears
a look
back...
2019 – Grand Ronde Tribal member David Lewis had a new title to
add to his list of accomplishments – Indigenous video game contrib-
utor. Lewis, an ethnohistory researcher and adjunct professor, wrote
14 narratives for the newly released “When Rivers Were Trails,” an
educational, 2-D adventure game that explored the effects of allotment
acts on Indigenous communities in the 1890s.
2014 – The fi rst of two informational sessions was held about pro-
posed amendments to the Tribal Constitution. The fi rst proposed
amendment removed the oversight role that the Department of the
Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, had over Tribal con-
stitutional amendment elections. The second proposed amendment
would set term limits for future Tribal Council members.
2009 – More than 50 youth
from Grand Ronde, Siletz and
Klamath Tribes participated in
the Native Youth Leadership
Conference held in the Tribal
gym. The conference focused on
the idea of sustainability.
2004 – The Tribe’s Youth Ed-
ucation Program hosted its fi rst
annual spring break camp. The
File photo
camp was open to the Native 29
Club, Youth Leadership and
Tribal students in sixth- through 12th grade. They were there to learn
leadership and team building skills and to become more familiar with
their homelands. The camp was held at the Tribe’s new campground
at Agency Creek.
1999 – The Polk County Sheriff’s Offi ce Grand Ronde substation
was relocated to the Tribal Governance Center grounds and included
additional deputies. They were added to keep pace with the increase
in the Grand Ronde community’s population growth.
1994 – The Grand Ronde Chemical Dependency Program hosted a
basketball tournament at Chemawa Indian School. There were nine
teams from different Tribes. The Spirit Mountain team, coached by
Grand Ronde Prevention Counselor Vernon Kennedy, took fi rst place.
Grand Ronde had another team entered called Greg 49ers, coached
by Mike Larsen and Greg Leno.
1989 – Tribal Chairman Mark Mercier stated in his chairman’s
report that the Tribe was seeking a site for the Forestry Program.
The site needed to have adequate offi ce space and storage facilities
for vehicles and related forest machinery.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in fi ve-year incre-
ments through the pages of Smoke Signals.
2024
SUMMER YOUTH
INTERNSHIP
Apply online starting on April 5th at
www.grandronde.org/employment
Have questions?
Please contact youthenrichment@grandronde.org or
employmentteam@grandronde.org