CHILDREN’S WISH LISTS
KACEY McCALLISTER IS
DEAR SANTA
UNSTOPPABLE
Page 14A
Page 10A
Volume 140, Issue 51
www.Polkio.com
December 23, 2015
75¢
New DHS offices going up in North Dallas
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Construction
is humming off West Ellen-
dale near Rite-Aid in Dallas,
even with the recent inhos-
pitable weather.
One of the construction
projects is a Department of
Human Services (DHS)
building that will combine
programs offered at two fa-
cilities the agency leases in
Dallas. The agency operates
child welfare and self-suffi-
ciency programs for Polk
County clients at its offices
in downtown Dallas and an-
other location off East Ellen-
dale Avenue.
Linda Riddell, the admin-
istrator for the Office of Fa-
cilities Management for
DHS, said the new office
building will house both
programs in one place, of-
fering better efficiency in
terms of cost and time.
“It will combine those two
facilities and it will be a little
bigger,” Riddell said.
More room means clients
of the agency’s Jobs Program
be will able to use expanded
classrooms, computer and
resource spaces, for exam-
ple. Services include helping
people apply for jobs and
write resumes.
“For one thing, we will
have adequate space to pro-
vide services to clients and
meet mandates from the
federal government for us to
do that,” Riddell said.
Once finished, the new
building will be 32,470-
square feet. White Oak Con-
struction is the contractor on
the project and started work
in mid-November. The com-
pany has worked on a num-
ber of DHS projects, includ-
ing a remodel of the fourth
and fifth floors of the DHS lo-
IN
YOUR
TOWN
DALLAS
Dallas High School
senior Marcos Molina
has surprised everyone
on the wrestling mat —
even himself.
»Page 10A
FALLS CITY
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Oregon Department of Human Services is building a new office off West Ellendale Av-
enue in Dallas. The 32,470-square foot building is slated to be done in spring.
cation in downtown Salem.
The building, to be called
the Multi-Service Center, is
located at 190 W. Ellendale
Ave. It is slated to be finished
in late spring 2016.
Riddell said the agency is
scheduled to move into the
new facility in June 2016.
Food For All 260,000 pounds strong
Falls City looks for an
organization to take
over July 3 festivities,
including the parade.
»Page 3A
INDEPENDENCE
Nutria can cause
havoc on wetlands, na-
tive muskrats. Find out
how to control the ani-
mals in Independence.
»Page 2A
MONMOUTH
Monmouth Inde-
pendence Networks
board of directors seeks
new revenue sources
for the company.
»Page 3A
POLK COUNTY
Local organizations
offer a variety of activi-
ties for children and
adults during winter
break.
»Page 6A
SPORTS
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Perrydale students repack potatoes into family-sized portions at the school on Thursday. Each family receives about 40 pounds of fresh produce.
Volunteer ‘trucks’ on for a good cause
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
PERRYDALE — Food For
All, Perrydale FFA’s annual
holiday food collection, only
works because of coordina-
tion of many moving parts.
A few of those parts have
18 wheels and a trailer.
John Cruickshank has, for
more than 10 years, volun-
teered his time and semi-
truck to help the critical and
growing program with mov-
ing donated food from
farmer or processor to
where it is packaged to given
to those in need.
Cruickshank, also a Perry-
dale School Board member
and graduate of the school,
said he doesn’t have the time
to volunteer in classrooms,
so this is his way of helping
out a program that teaches
so many important lessons.
“My goal is to try to give
back to the school as much
as I can,” he said.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
When the final tally is
made, Food For All will have
collected and distributed
about 260,000 pounds of
fresh fruit and vegetables to
families and food banks
from Polk County to Coos
Bay to Union.
Food For All does more
than provide nourishment
for the needy.
“I think it’s outstanding,”
said Perrydale agricultural
teacher and FFA advisor
Christina Lorenz. “It teaches
students so much about giv-
ing back to their communi-
ty.”
Former Perrydale teacher
and longtime program coordi-
nator Kirk Hutchinson agrees.
“When kids go to the de-
livery places, they get their
eyes opened,” he said.
“Those people are so incred-
ibly grateful to receive this
bounty of fresh fruits and
vegetables that not everyone
gets this time of year.”
That is the reason Cruick-
Central’s wrestling
team won its home in-
vitational on Friday.
»Page 12A
Central serving
lunch to those
17 and younger
during break
Itemizer-Observer staff report
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
John Cruickshank has volunteered his truck for Food For All for more than 10 years.
shank believes it is so im-
portant to support it.
He’s proud to watch his
son, Devin Cruickshank, an
officer in Perrydale FFA, juggle
his schedule to give every-
thing he can to the effort.
Over the years, he’s
watched Food For All have
the same impact on other
students.
“It shows them where it
(the food) goes,” he said. “It’s
fun to see the kids interact
with me as the truck driver
and all the different farmers
and processors.”
See TRUCKS, Page 5A
INDEPENDENCE —
Central School District
will offer free lunch to
anyone 17 and
younger during Winter
break, Monday through
Th u r s d ay, n o o n to
12:30 p.m. at Henry Hill
Education Center, 750
S. Fifth St., Independ-
ence.
This is the fourth
year Central has offered
a winter lunch pro-
gram.
Last year, 40 to 50
children were served
per day.
The district hosts
some simple activities
during lunch, also.
For more informa-
tion:central.k12.or.us.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Need a last-minute
Christmas gift or to
unwind before the
holiday hits? Head to
the Boondocks for
painting and drinks.
7 p.m. $30.
Wake up at the crack
of dawn to help
make Christmas
wishes come true by
volunteering at
Christmas Cheer.
6 a.m. Free.
Enjoy a free meal,
served by volun-
teers and members
of St. Philips Church,
open to anyone in
the community.
Noon-2 p.m. Free.
Dallas Aquatic Cen-
ter will host an
adults-only swim
tonight, perfect to
unwind after the
busy holiday.
9-10 p.m. $2.50.
Sing old-time
hymns and blue-
grass at the Jubilee
Service at Calvary
Chapel. Hand-clap-
ping is encouraged.
6:30 p.m. Free.
Develop a new tal-
ent with the
Willamette Valley
New Horizons Or-
chestra, which
meets each Monday.
6:30 p.m. Free.
Get an early start to
weight-loss goals at
the weekly TOPS
meeting in Dallas.
The group also
meets in Monmouth.
6 p.m. Free.
Rain and wind
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Lo: 34
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Rain
Hi: 45
Lo: 37
Showers
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Lo: 36
Showers
Hi: 46
Lo: 36