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