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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019 | 7A Pantry from A1 When pantries get a lot of one item, as can be the case with shipments from the U.S. Department of Agri- culture, they will offer reci- pes to help clients figure out how to use that food. Still, maintaining that supermarket-style environ- ment has gotten more diffi- cult as supplies have gotten tighter. The Creswell pantry has had more patrons in the last few months and that’s making it harder to give out as much food as they would like, Blachnik said. “We were giving everyone five pounds per person [per day] in a family. Now we’re down to two pounds,” she said. With the addition of the Creslane food drive sup- plies, she hopes to get that number back up to three or four pounds. Demand at the Creswell pantry has been up 42 per- cent since July. That’s among the five highest demand-in- creases in the county. FFLC supplies and other dona- tions should keep the pan- try stocked well enough, but that increased demand means Blachnik has to stretch already thin supplies even further. It’s not clear exactly why demand is up — 12 percent across Lane County on av- erage — even as the USDA has found that food inse- curity had been decreasing through 2018. Rising rent, stagnant wages and changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, previously known as food stamps, may be fac- tors. The Creswell pantry, FFLC and the Community Sharing Program in Cottage Grove all mentioned SNAP benefit changes in their as- sessment of the growth in demand. “Any time we see benefits decreasing for people, the natural response for people [is] to seek out food at an emergency pantry,” Wood- ward said. Benefits are administered by individual states, though the federal government can change the rules on who qualifies. The current rule chang- es being considered by the USDA, for which one of the public comment periods ended Dec. 2, would pre- vent states from automati- cally extending “categorical eligibility” for SNAP ben- efits to those who also use programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Fam- ilies, effectively removing more than three million people across the nation from SNAP, including some 66,000 Oregonians, accord- ing to the Oregon Food Bank. It would also cut the dol- lar amount of benefits for thousands more in the Bea- ver State. The FFLC-network pan- tries — 31 in total — don’t abide by the same rules. They run on the honor sys- tem; no one who uses the service has to prove identity, income or residence. “If people really need food, we want them to be able to access it. Our mis- sion is that nobody should be hungry. Let’s all have access to food,” Woodward said. A July rule change by FFLC tried to increase that access by allowing people to visit any food pantry they distribute to in the coun- ty. As a result, the Creswell pantry has seen patrons from as far as Florence and Dorena come through their door. Another contributing factor could be low wages in Lane County. Forty-five percent of residents live at or under the ALICE threshold — a measurement of those people who are employed but make just enough to pay the bills — according to a 2016 report from United Way. That contributes to 11.1 percent (about 460,000) of Oregonians lacking depend- able access to enough food to lead a healthy lifestyle, according to the USDA. SNAP benefits and pan- tries are critical to meeting the needs of those Orego- nians. Patrons of rural pantries in particular have more on- going need. FFLC calculated that rural pantries see repeat visitors an average of five times per year, compared to four times for the Eugene and Springfield pantries. One of the reasons rural pantries see more repeat visitors is a lack of access to grocery stores. Small com- munities like Creswell have seen grocery stores close or never had one to begin with. That forces Creswellians to go to Eugene, Springfield or Cottage Grove to do their shopping. For the patrons of FFLC pantries, many of whom fall under the ALICE threshold, that extra expense is too much to bear. “If [people] are on a limit- ed income, they are making decisions as to where that money is going,” Woodward said. “We see that the food budget in every household is the most flexible.” Woodward said that de- spite the high homeless population in the county, that isn’t who the majority of pantry patrons are. “Most are the working poor, for lack of a better term,” she said. “For the Heraej=bbkn`]^haHqtqnu Assisted Living and Memory Care Apartments Our beautiful community is designed for those who need assistance or have memory impairments. You can be assured that you or your loved one will receive the best in care along with compassionate personal attention from our well trained staff. Call or stop by for more information and a personal tour! We are available 7 days a week! 1500 Village Dr., Cottage Grove, OR 97424 T 541-767-0080 www.MiddlefieldOaks.com Come experience our new laser most part, they can cover their expenses. But when the unexpected happens, that’s when they need extra help.” Even as demand has grown, pantries have been able to keep feeding those in-need, thanks to the gener- osity of others. Lane County residents have stepped up to help pantries all over the county. Donations poured in during the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive led by the National Association of Letter Carriers and from grocery stores, farmers and individuals all year long. Those donations help main- tain the shopping-style pan- try experience. “The community sup- port, in those ways, makes a huge difference,” Blachnik said. “If we were only de- pending on Food for Lane County, we would do fine. But we wouldn’t do as well, you know what I mean?” Supporting the pantry goes beyond donations. An all-volunteer workforce keeps things running. Sa- nipac provides free trash and recycling services to the building. PayneWest Insurance in Cottage Grove donated 400 pounds of food and many hours of labor when the Creslane donation came in to make sure WWW.CGSMILES.COM Are you a Chamber Member? Ask us how you can become a member today! Contact Travis Palmer, Director of the Chamber of Commerce (541) 942-241 travis@cgchamber.com facebook.com/CottageGroveGroceryOutlet SAVE 40-70% ON GROCERIES. BEAUTIFUL, HUH? Worship Directory COTTAGE GROVE: 6th & Gibbs Church of Christ 195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822 10:00am Christian Education: Pre-K through 5th www.6thandgibbs.com First Presbyterian Church 3rd and Adams St 541-942-4479 Rev.: Karen Hill Worship: 10:00am Sunday School: 10:00am fpcgrove.com Calvary Baptist Church 77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290 Pastor: Riley Hendricks Sunday School: 9:45am Worship: 11:00am The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm Hope Fellowship United Pentecostal Church 100 S. Gateway Blvd. 541-942-2061 Pastor: Dave Bragg Worship: 11:00am Sunday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday www.hopefellowshipupc.com “FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE” First Baptist Church 301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242 Pastor: David Chhangte Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service 10:30am Youth Wednesday 6:30pm cgfi rstbaptist.com 350 E. W ASHINGTON A VENUE • C OTTAGE G ROVE Visit The Sentinel online: www.CGSentinel.com Ed & Kori Sowa Independent Owner-Operators Delight Valley Church of Christ 33087 Saginaw Rd. East 541-942-7711 • Pastor: Bob Friend Two Services: 9am - Classic in the Chapel 10:30am - Contemporary in the Auditorium 541.942.7934 Decorate a handcrafted, pre-built gingerbread Country Church, Classic Cottage, or Covered Bridge, with more than 30 decorating items to choose from. Each building $30, includes lights and stained glass windows. Several dates available, you must pre-register! Visit cottageevents.com or call 541-942-6888. 200 Gateway Blvd. Cottage Grove, OR 97424 4 (541) 942-5400 Mon. - Sat. 8am - 9pm Sun. 9am - 8pm Cottage Grove Faith Center 33761 Row River Rd. 541-942-4851 Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett www.cg4.tv Full Childrenʼs Ministry available Services: 9:00am & 10:45am C ALL U S T ODAY ! at The Cottage events venue Cottage Grove Cottage Grove Bible Church 1200 East Quincy Avenue 541-942-4771 Pastor:Bob Singer Worship 11am Sunday School:9:45am AWANA age 3-8th Grade, Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm www.cgbible.org DENTISTRY WITH FAMILY IN MIND Gingerbread Workshops See FOOD 11A Church of Christ 420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565 Sunday Service: 10:30am Brent Bitner, DDS Family fun for the holidays! St. Philip Benizi, Creswell 552 Holbrook Lane Sunday 8:30 AM St. Andrews Episcopal Church 1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050 Rev. Lawrence Crumb “Church with the fl ags.” Worship: Sunday 10:30am All Welcome Seventh-day Adventist Church 820 South 10th Street 541-942-5213 Pastor: Kevin Miller Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00 Living Faith Assembly 467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612 Trinity Lutheran Church Worship Services Sundays: 9a & 11a 6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373 Youth Worship Sundays: 11a (all Pastor: James L. Markus ages welcome) Sunday School & Adult Education Mondays: 5:30p (6th-12th grades) 9:15am Sunday Worship 10:30 am Non-Denominational Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur Church of Christ 5:00pm TLC Groups 1041 Pennoyer Ave tlccg.com 541-942-8928 Preacher: Tony Martin United Methodist Church Sunday Bible Study:10:00am 334 Washington 541-942-3033 Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm New Pastor Craig Pesti- Strobel www.pennoyeravecoc.com Worship 10:30am umcgrove.org Old Time Gospel Fellowship 103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999 “VICTORY” Country Church Pastor: Jim Edwards 913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913 Sunday Service: 10:00am Pastor: Barbara Dockery Join in Traditional Christian Worship Worship Service: 10:00am Message: “WE BELIEVE IN Our Lady of Perpetual Help MIRACLES” and St. Philip Benizi Catholic Churches 1025. N. 19th St. 541-942-3420 Father John J. Boyle Holy Mass: Saturday Vigil – 5:30 PM Sunday – 10:30 PM For weekday and Holy Day of Obligation schedule see website OLPHCG.net Confession: 4 PM to 5 PM Saturdays or by appointment CRESWELL: Creswell Presbyterian Church 75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419 Rev. Seth Wheeler Adult Sunday School 9:15am Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am website www.creswellpres.org Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature in this newspaper. If your congregation would like to be a part of this directory, contact us today! S entinel C ottage G rove 541-942-3325 116 N. 6th Street Cottage Grove, OR