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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2018)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 24, 2018 A3 The heart to help: Couple retires from years of service at food bank Halls have served at food bank since 1997 By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo Attendees at the Oregon State Snowmobile Association conference, held in John Day Jan. 10-13, ride at Huddleston Sno-Park. Snowmobile convention ‘a great success’ Snowpack levels at record low By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The recent Oregon State Snowmobile Association con- vention in John Day was a great success, Grant County Snow- ballers President Tim Holly told the Eagle. The convention drew a good crowd to John Day on Jan. 10- 13, with about 140 people at- tending the dinner event at the Grant County Fairgrounds on Saturday, he said. Drought-like conditions have impacted snow levels in Grant County this year, Holly noted, but visitors commented on how much more snow was in Grant County than other parts of Oregon. That was expected to change, based on the latest weather forecasts, Holly said. According to Snotel records online, the snow-water equiv- alent for snowpack at Blue Mountain Summit, on Highway 26 east of Austin Junction, is at its lowest in four years, Holly said. “We had a lot of snow ear- ly, in November, but not much since then,” Holly said. The Grant County area has about 500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and four Sno- Parks, including Huddleston Sno-Park, south of Prairie City on County Road 62; Starr Sno- Park, south of Canyon City at the Starr Ridge Summit on Highway 395; and Idlewild Campground, north of Burns off Highway 395. A Sno-Park has been under development at Blue Mountain Summit for the past two years, Holly said. A large area has been cleared for parking, but grant money is needed to pay for pav- ing and restroom facilities, he said. Snowmobile trails groomed by the Snowballers, the Burnt River Snowmobile Club and the Sumpter Valley Snowmo- bile Club converge in the Blue Mountain Summit area, Holly said. Sno-Park lots are plowed us- ing state crews or funds, and a Sno-Park permit is required by all winter recreationists using the lots. The permits cost $25 per year and are available from the Department of Motor Vehi- cles and some local stores. Two avalanche training seminars were provided during the two-day convention, but avalanches are rare in this area, Holly said. Many members of the Snowballers club respond to Grant County Search and Res- cue calls. “We can get 25 machines on site right away,” he said. Communication in the mountains can be difficult, he noted, but riders can sometimes gain cell service at high points in the terrain. Groomers, who work at night when the snow has hardened, carry satellite phones or a SPOT satellite messenger in case they have trouble miles from the trailhead. Three trail-groomer man- ufacturers attended the con- vention. Grooming machines are owned by the Oregon State Snowmobile Association and provided to local clubs with certified operators, Holly said. OSSA also pays for the fuel, but the operators are generally vol- unteers, he said. Walt and Agnes Hall be- gan serving at the Grant Coun- ty Food Bank in John Day in 1997, when it was a small cement building with a leaky roof. Since that time, the couple have handed out tens of thou- sands of food boxes, alongside many other volunteers, for res- idents needing an extra hand. After twisting his knee a couple years ago, Walt had to scale back after 18 years of volunteering. Agnes, who’s served for 20 years and was food bank board chairwoman since the spring of 2015, stepped down as of Jan. 2. “There is a time for every- thing, and this is our time to pull back,” Agnes said, adding they will still help out at the food bank from time to time. It was Wilbur and Carole Ashby who first introduced the couple to serving at the food bank in the 90s. “They were both board members,” Walt said. “The food bank manager at that time was Jerry Beil.” Back then, the food bank was about 30 feet by 15 feet, located behind what is now the Outpost Restaurant. “It was a mess getting peo- ple in and out,” Walt said. The food bank is now lo- cated at 530 E. Main St. and has enough space to operate smoothly, and has a sturdy roof. Agnes said the number of people served has increased over the years, but recently the numbers have held steady, with between 100-150 house- holds — between 280 to 300 individuals — served each month. “We might have hit 400 (individuals), but that was a rare situation,” Walt said. A household might include a single person or sometimes five or six — up to eight, Ag- nes said. Many times people line up early at the food bank the morning of the fourth Wednesday of the month, before volunteers arrive, in order to receive the best se- lection. Items given out usually Eagle file photo Dave Turner, left, and Walt Hall load a truck with food collected at the Eagle office for the Grant County Food Bank in 2013. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Agnes and Walt Hall of John Day recently retired from 20 years of volunteer service at the Grant County Food Bank. include meat, peanut butter, tuna, juices, canned and fro- zen fruit and vegetables, pas- ta, rice and more. “It depends on what we get,” Walt said. “We don’t al- ways know.” Although December was a good month for donations, Agnes said food prices have gone up, and the cost of the food they buy from the Ore- gon Food Bank and mileage reimbursement (to pick up the food in La Grande) have also increased. To make up the difference, they’ve had to dip into reserves, she said. “Everything is done through volunteers and do- nations,” Agnes said, adding that extra volunteers are al- ways needed. Walt said when he retired from his job as a hospital se- curity officer in Salem, he and Agnes moved to John Day with the idea of spending their time volunteering. Agnes said serving at the food bank has been rewarding. “It’s very satisfying to know that you’re help- ing people,” she said. “If it wasn’t for the generosity of the people of Grant County, we would not be able to do what we do.” “It’s been a fun thing,” Walt added. “We both enjoy what we did, and we’re not really quitting, just backing off.” The Halls also assist during the John Day Se- nior Center luncheons once a month, along with other members of the Catholic Church. A new food bank chair- person is expected to be elected in February. Some of the current vol- unteers include secretary Ann Huffman, treasurer San- dra Sutton, transportation 50 th A nniversary Celebration coordinator Cliff Marsh and food committee members Tom Sutton, George Sintay, Marsh and Jim Maple. Maple said it was Walt who introduced him to serv- ing at the food bank, about 15 years ago. “There wouldn’t be a food bank without them,” Maple said. “Walter was the head of the food bank when he intro- duced me to (it).” “Agnes has been most faithful, and without both of them, the food bank would not be what it is,” he said. People who would like to sign up for assistance can ap- ply at the food bank on distri- bution day. Those wishing to volun- teer, and people who need an emergency food box, can call the food bank at 541-575- 0299. A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Jim and Jean Miller Are you using or interested in learning about Choice Card Medical Care? will be celebrating their special occasion January 28 from 2-6 p.m. at the Mt. Vernon Grange Hall. Eagle file photo Walt Hall, left, and Dave Turner from the Grant County Food Bank gather food collected at the Eagle office. See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. Hours: M-F 10-4 Katee Hoffman th Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment They welcome all their friends to join them. 36628 Thank You On December 25th, Tanner was seriously injured in a snowmobile accident. He had to be flown to Portland to OHSU where he underwent surgery and care for other injuries. It is truly by the grace of God that Tanner’s life was spared and we thank God every day. During Tanner’s recovery and healing the outpour of love, kindness, and compassion has been beyond amazing. We have found that there truly are angels among us and we would like to take this opportunity to thank these angels. First of all we would like to thank the Long Creek EMTs and first responders for their expertise and quick response. They are a very efficient and wonderful team. Thank you to the Blue Mountain Hospital paramedics for quickly and efficiently transporting Tanner to the BMH. We deeply appreciate your expertise also. Thank you for also making it possible for the plane to land so that Tanner could be flown to Portland. Thank you to the trauma team that was waiting for Tanner to arrive at the hospital, for all that each and every one of you did to save his life. EMTs, paramedics, doctors and staff, you are all wonderful. We so deeply appreciate everyone and will always be grateful. We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, calls, cards, visits, food and monetary gifts. Thank you for your support and help during this difficult time. We will never forget the kindness and love that has been given to our family. Grant County is a wonderful place to live; it is full of giving and caring people and may God bless each and every one. May the kindness and love that was given to our fam ily come back to all of you. Sincerely, The Moodenbaugh Family, Nancy Morgan, Pearl Shearer The Grant County Snowballers Snowmobile Club would like to thank our state convention sponsors and donors Iron Triangle John Day True Value Hardware Gardiner Enterprises Boyd Britton Welding Tim Thiden Tucker Sno-Cat Prinoth (Sno-cats) Pioneer Feed and Supply Dave Hannibal Grant County Fair Board 1188 Bar and Grill Strawberry Riders 4H Club Jack Southworth Nick Green Tami Bremner Mindy Winegar Les Schwab Nydam’s Ace Hardware John Day Polaris John Day Chamber of Commerce Tim and Carole Holly Piston Bully (Sno-cats) Ty’s Mobile Welding John Day Auto Parts Victoria Bed and Breakfast John Day Elk’s Club Snaffle Bit Dinner House Izee Livestock 4H Club Boyd Britton Bruce Ward Connie Wood Dusty Williams 36000
