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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017 Hungry from 1A food insecure — more than the population of Eugene. The issue is only compounded during the summer time. While school programs provide meals to students during the school year, the need for nutritional and filling choices becomes greater as latchkey teens stay at home with empty cupboards. Starting Monday, Boys and Girls Club will serve free hot meals Monday through Friday to any teen between the ages of 12 and 18. The meals will be served twice a day at noon and 4 p.m. Every teen is welcome, regard- less of their affiliation with the organization. Boys and Girls Club Interim Director Chuck Trent explained the reasoning behind the move. “While the general economy across Oregon has improved, and it has improved somewhat in Florence, the families that are coming in are basically minimum wage with no benefits and part- time work. They can’t afford food,” he said. What is of particular concern for Trent is those families who just hover above the poverty line. In these instances, they make too much money to qualify for feder- al and state assistance, but they don’t make enough to cover food costs. “These are the ones I lose sleep over, the ones hidden in plain site. Often times the parents don’t know where to ask for help,” Trent said. The teens, he believes, are in need of the most assistance. “How many toddlers do you see wandering the street corners during the summer months? The reality is, parents will do whatev- er they have to do for the younger children but often the teens are 240 left behind. So that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. Trent teamed up with Food Backpack for Kids, the Mapleton School District and Mapleton Food Share to start an ambitious program to provide food for chil- dren throughout the Siuslaw region. “We were at a loss of how to help kids during the summer- time,” said Dale Edwards, direc- tor of Food Backpack for Kids. Backpack, which started in 2012, first began as a supplemen- tal food program during the school year. While the school provided up to three meals a day to students, youth were often going home hungry over the weekend. The catalyst for the program started when Backpack organiz- ers heard a story of a child who, having no food over a weekend, was forced to go dumpster div- ing. Edwards investigated the issue and found that the occurrence was not uncommon or limited to a few individuals. “Some of these kids were liv- ing in tents, they were couch surfing. It was staggering,” he said. So a group began raising funds. Soon, their program, made up entirely of volunteers, was able to provide food for students to have over the weekend. But the problem was what to do once the school year ended. “Hunger doesn’t take a vaca- tion,” Edwards said. “We know that there are children in need during the summer, but we were at a loss of how to develop a pro- gram to feed them.” Enter Chuck Trent. Seeing that the need for a sum- mer meal program was rising over the summer, he approached Edwards, along with Karen Harden from Mapleton Food Share and Jodi O’Mara from the Mapleton School District, to bring food to the hardest hit fam- ilies in the area. The cost for the summer food program comes from a variety of sources. The Kiwanis Club of Florence gave a sizeable dona- tion, as did Art and Jean Koenig. Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program will reimburse the food itself. It sponsors U.S. Department of Agriculture food and nutrition plans to support the growth and development of Oregon’s children. The requirements for the pro- gram can be strict, however. Meal plans are regulated, calling for certain amounts of wheat, vegetables and milk for each meal. Boys and Girls Club employee Illene Armer, who is in charge of implementing the food program, sees this as a challenge. “If (kids) don’t like it, they won’t eat. And then they’ll starve,” Armer explained. “An adult realizes food is food, but a teen won’t eat just carrots and celery. So we work hard on mak- ing a homemade, complex meal.” The menu includes chicken alfredo, tacos, homemade mashed potatoes and potato salad. The broccoli is sautéed and the asparagus is roasted. Preparing the food can be dif- ficult with the facilities they cur- rently have. With just a few hot- plates and a toaster oven, Armer works diligently with volunteers from Food Backpack for Kids to HOURS Is your family prepared? If an emergency happens in your community, it may take emergency workers some time to reach you. You should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 240 hours. Get your emergency fi rst aid kit started with these essentials: ❑ First aid manual ❑ Aspirin or pain relievers ❑ Laxatives, diarrhea medicine ❑ Rubbing alcohol, petroleum jelly ❑ Soap, salt, baking soda ❑ Sanitary napkins, matches ❑ Triangular bandages ❑ Elastic bandages, pressure dressings ❑ Cotton balls, disposable diapers ❑ Scissors, needles, tweezers ❑ Popsicle sticks, splints, heavy string ❑ Thermometer, paper tape ❑ Syrup of Ipecac ❑ Personal prescription medications Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is a 65-apartment Assisted Living facility as well as a 25-room secured memory care facility. Living at Spruce Point has many benefi ts such as restaurant-style dining, housekeeping services, a full and thriving activities program as well as medical management from an on-site nurse. Staff is available 24-hours a day using the latest technology in the iAlert system. Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is proudly managed by Prestige Care, Inc. Transportation Resident Parking Available Medical Transportation Transportation at cost Property Convenient to Bus line Additional Amenities Activities Onsite Activities Off site Devotional Services Onsite Outdoor Common Areas Indoor Game Room and Common Areas Beautician and nail-tech onsite This message brought to you by the West Lane Emergency Operations Group. www.wleog.org Other Services Wheelchair Accessible Showers Outside services management (hospice, home health) Respite Rooms Aging in place Just a “Stone’s Th row” Away! 3 375 7 5 9th St, Florence, OR 97439 • (541) 997-6111 IDENTIFY • PREPARE • SURVIVE 7 A prepare and cook food at home. While the program expects to serve an average of 50 teens per serving — they can do more if the need arises — organizers fear they may not be able to reach children in more rural communi- ties. They believe there are at least 100 teens in the surrounding areas that need assistance. To help alleviate this, Trent partnered with Mapleton. Not only will Food Share and the school district inform parents and youth about the program, but they will bus the teens down to Florence for meals. Currently, the Mapleton team is only able to bring teens to Florence on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Team members are looking for volunteers to drive the rest of the week. No special certification is required, just a normal drivers license and a clean driving record. Ultimately, Trent hopes that the meals will not only help alle- viate hunger among the popula- tion, but also increase engage- ment. “My hope is, when youth come for food they’ll see our pro- grams and the fun they can have,” he said. “When you take a look at poverty, it’s the lowest kids who are in the lowest level that we have the toughest time getting through school and grad- uating. “You get a summer brain drain, and that’s where kids can get into trouble. Here we do math, reading, and science, but we do it through games. They’re learning all summer long and they don’t know that they’re learning. They’re just having a good time.” For Trent, helping children get a step up is a lifelong passion. “I’ve been where these kids are. I was one of the lucky ones because I had someone who did what I’m trying to do with these kids. If that didn’t happen, my life would be so much different,” he said. “When the kids are here, we give them hope for the future. And at the end of the day, it equals love.” For more information or to get involved, contact the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County at 541-902-0304. THIS WEEK COAST ON THE A W EEKLY L ISTING OF C OMMUNITY E VENTS IN THE F LORENCE A REA S UBMIT ALL E VENTS I NFORMATION VIA E MAIL TO P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM July 8 “Animals of the Dunes” with Dina Pavlis 1-2 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library The Siuslaw Jam Music Celebration 2 p.m.— free, “Intro to Jazz for the Young and Young at Heart” 7 p.m.— tickets required, “Jazz and the American Popular Song” Florence Events Center 2nd Saturday Gallery Tour 3-5 p.m. CUSTOM ENGRAVING & CUTTING Awards • Plaques • Name Badges Gifts • Signage • Glassware Open to public Various galleries in Florence 2ndSaturdayGalleryTour.com July 9 Mapleton Lions Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10:30 a.m. $7 for adults, $3 for youth Mapleton Lions Club 88148 Riverview Drive July 10 SAPPSA meets 3:30 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library DONATE NOW! Maximize your donation by donating to Cars for a Cause by Dec. 31st. We accept cars, trucks, RVs, boats & motorcycles CALL NOW! 541-997-5691 541-361-9080 jmirvis@charter.net Florence, Oregon sappsa@oregonfast.net Siuslaw Soil, Water Cons- ervation District meets 6:30 p.m. Open to public 1775 Laurel Place, Ste #4, Florence July 11 KXCR presents Storyteller Chris Chandler 7 p.m. Tickets required Class Act Theatre Us TOO Florence Prostate Cancer Education/ Support Group 5-7 p.m. Open to public Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw 541-999-4239 July 13 “Build a Better World” Youth Summer Reading Programs 10:30-11:30 a.m. Open to youth Siuslaw Public Library Siuslaw Friendship Club Annual Picnic 11:30 a.m. Open to public Woahink Lake Yurt 541-294-8270 We buy, sell and consign quality estate/heirloom jewelry & furniture. Gold, silver, platinum jewelry with precious & semi precious stones. Florence Antiques July 15 Power of Florence 7 a.m.— Pancake breakfast 9 a.m.— Power Walk Events all day Open to public, various locations PowerofFlorence.org The Covered Bridges of Oregon County Transfer & Recycling Commerical • Residential Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, One Time Pick-Up. Auto, Home, Life, Business Flood, Antique Auto, RV’s Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare Supplements Health Insurance Call 541-997-8104, St. Vincent de Paul KXCR presents Amy Sue Berlin and Kindra Kinsey 7 p.m. Donations welcome Siuslaw Public Library 1-2 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library Van Fans Ice Cream Social 1-4 p.m. Open to public Florence Events Center Sand Master Jam 2017 1-5 p.m. Registration Required Sand Master Park Fanny Rugburn: “Drag Me to Neverland” 8 p.m. $10 admission, cash; open to all ages Class Act Theatre Village Grooming ESTATE JEWELRY AND ANTIQUE FURNITURE!!! 2315 Hwy. 101 • Florence • 541-997-8460 July 14 Phone (541) 997-9497 1234 Rhododendron Dr / Florence Siuslaw News 148 Maple St. • PO Box 10 • Florence, OR 97439 (541) 997-3441 • Fax (541) 997-7979 www.thesiuslawnews.com 4981 Highway 101, across Munsel Lake Rd 541-305-5411 Call for appointment Easy curb side recycling program- No additional costs to our customers. 5078 Coastwood Lane Call us at 541-997-8233 Advertise your business here. 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