A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Grant County comes together to
help fire victims across the state
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
As deadly wildfires swept
across the state last week and
forced many people to flee
their homes, Grant County
sprung into action in a vari-
ety of different ways to help
the tens of thousands of
evacuees.
The community, in less
than a week, opened up four
drop-off locations and cre-
ated a Facebook group with
more than 2,000 members
from around the country.
According to a press
release last week, Grant
County Sheriff’s Office uti-
lizes the office as a drop off
site for personal hygiene
items, such as deodorant,
toothpaste, razors, shaving
cream, socks, T-shirts and
undergarments in new condi-
tion. The office is also accept-
ing non-perishable food items
and gift cards.
Palmer said, due to the
sheriff’s office’s size, it can-
not accept clothing items.
Canyon Creek Commu-
nity 4-H Club is gathering
donations that can be dropped
off at Pioneer Feed and Farm
Supply. Club leader Laura
Brown said only new items
can be accepted to prevent
spreading COVID-19.
She said personal hygiene
items, clothes, blankets, pil-
lows, pet food and non-per-
ishable food, such as canned
goods are accepted.
Pioneer Feed and Farm
Supply owner Courtney Fox
said plastic tote storage con-
tainers are very helpful for
people who have just lost a
home and are carrying their
belongings with them from
place to place.
Brown said tents are very
much in demand and that a
used tent, provided it is in
decent condition, would be
accepted.
The club is also accepting
monetary donations for peo-
ple to purchase basic neces-
sities, she said. Brown said
checks can be made out to
Canyon Creek Community
OTHER DONATION
EFFORTS
OBITUARIES
Brenda Joyce Densberger
April 6, 1943 — Sept. 13, 2020
Brenda Joyce Densberger, 77, of John Day passed away Sept.
13, 2020, with her family by her side. Arrangements have been
entrusted to Driskill Memorial Chapel.
Fanny Fitzgerald
Hay for John Day
Anyone interested in
donating hay or other re-
sources to those affected
by the fires can contact
Grant County Commis-
sioner Jim Hamsher at
541- 620-2861
JD Outdoor & Power
Equipment
A collection site for items
to go to victims of fires.
According to its Facebook
page, they are accepting
personal hygiene items.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Canyon Creek Community 4-H Club stands in front of Pioneer
Feed and Farm Supply with the donations the club gathered
for people affected by the wildfires burning across Oregon.
From left, Sierra May, Pioneer Feed and Farm Supply owner
Courtney Fox, Lauren Wenger, Trey Brown, Madison Whit-
more, Brooke Taynton, club leader Laura Brown, Alyssa Cata-
lani and Ava Brown.
4H Club.
Brown said the club is
debating on how or where
they will distribute the money
and donations they receive.
She said right now the club
is trying to collect as many
donations as they can.
“We don’t really have
a end date,” Brown said.
“We’re just trying to get as
much as we can to make a
good load.”
Brown said she really
wants the members of the
club to deliver the donations
to the drop-off location the
group decides on.
“It’s important for the kids
to see what good deeds can
do,” she said. “You know,
that they understand there’s
a bigger picture involved
with everything they do.
We’re obviously not going to
be touring any of the devas-
tated areas, but being able to
follow through and drop off
donations and see the other
volunteers and evacuees will
give them a bigger scope of
the picture.”
The Squeeze-In Restau-
rant and Deck is accepting
dog and cat food for displaced
pets. The owner, Shawn Dun-
can, said Candy Olson-Rea-
Evacuated family
The Squeeze-In Restau-
rant and Deck is accepting
a donations for a family
from Grant County who
were evacuated from their
home in Molalla over the
weekend. Olson-Reagan
said the family asked to
remain anonymous.
gan donated her trailer to
be parked on the side of the
restaurant, and once it is full,
it will be “driven to wherever
it is needed the most.”
“We’re taking care of
our furry friends too,”
Olson-Reagan said.
Olson-Reagan,
who
started the 2020 Oregon Fire
Aid and Assistance Facebook
group last week, said it grew
exponentially in just a few
days.
“Suddenly all these people
just started joining, and it just
sort of took off from there,”
she said.
Olson-Reagan said the
page’s administrators include
John Day resident Patti Ross,
Lori Brown of Vancouver and
Becky Smallwood of Bend.
Ross said she has made
sure the page stays apolitical.
So far, she said, she has only
had to kick one person off the
page for spreading disinfor-
mation that places the blame
of the wildfires in the region
on Antifa, short for “anti-fas-
cists” and an umbrella term
for leftist militant groups that
confront or resist far-right,
white supremacist groups,
often with violence.
The
rumors
were
debunked by law enforce-
ment officials in Molalla — a
city south of Portland where
residents were evacuated as
two fires were merging —
and in Douglas County an
area south of Eugene with at
least four fires burning, Port-
land’s KOIN-TV reported.
“How does that help
someone who just lost every-
thing and has nowhere to go,”
Ross said.
Olson-Reagan said before
the start of the Facebook
group she had “lost faith in
humanity” because of how
divided the country has
become along political, social
and cultural lines.
“This has shown me, and
probably a lot of other peo-
ple, that we have not lost our
faith, we haven’t lost human-
ity, we’re still together,”
she said. “People are help-
ing without asking, are you
Republican, are you con-
servative, are you a liberal.
They don’t care whether
you’re gonna vote for Trump
or for Biden — they want
to help.”
Oct. 16, 1943 — Aug. 29, 2020
Fanny Fitzgerald (aka Joanne Frances Singer) came into the
world with fists balled on Oct. 16, 1943. She went out fighting
on Aug. 29, 2020.
Fanny shared a love of remote living
with her husband and partner of 58 years,
Fred Fitzgerald. She shared a deep and
abiding love of music with her eldest son,
Trek, the love of good fight with her son
Skye, a passion for the written word with
her daughter Token and love of an ice-
cold beer with her son Star.
Fanny was a fierce devotee of music
in all forms and received a degree in
music from Eastern Oregon University
in 1993. She was also a regular sight
in La Grande and Pendleton, playing classical clarinet in both
the Grande Ronde Symphony and Oregon East Symphony for
decades.
Those who knew her knew Fanny as stubborn, fierce and sin-
gular in every respect — never afraid to speak her mind and
often seen giving the middle finger to anyone who disagreed
with her.
Fanny leaves behind her Fred, her four children and four
grandchildren, Taber, Jeffrey, Quentin and Chance, to figure out
what to do in a world without her.
There will be no public service, as Fanny would not have
wanted one.
All who wish to remember her may do so by listening to Lud-
wig Van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor; Adagio
Sostenuto — Attaca (“Moonlight” Opus 27 No. 2) — one of
the last classical pieces she listened to before her move into the
unknown.
It’s recommended you turn the volume up just a little higher
than is comfortable — just as Fanny did each day she moved
through this world.
KING AWARDED BACHELOR’S DEGREE
Contributed photo
Janelle King,
formerly of Canyon
City, was awarded a
Bachelor of Science
degree in market-
ing with a minor
in graphic design
from Northwest
Nazarene Univer-
sity Sept. 6. King
graduated magna
cum laude. King was
homeschooled and
currently resides in
Caldwell, Idaho. Her
parents are Everett
and Pam King of
Canyon City.
John Day Street Fair to honor firefighters and law enforcement
Blue Mountain Eagle
The John Day Street Fair
will honor local firefighters
and law enforcement Friday
and throw hamburgers and hot
dogs on the grill from 5-9 p.m.
In addition to visiting with
the men and women in pub-
lic service, John Day Farmers
Market Manager Stephanie
LeQuieu said there would be
a beer garden, hosted by 1188
Brewing Company, street ven-
dors, arts and crafts for kids
and the opportunity to connect
with the community.
LeQuieu said Friday’s
Street Fair is the second of
three the city has hosted this
year. Last month’s fair drew
roughly 100 people.
The event will follow state
guidelines. Face coverings,
proper social distancing and
other safety guidelines to stem
the spread of COVID-19 will
be required.
LeQuieu said the Street
Fair is a collaboration with the
John Day Greenhouse and the
farmers market. It is a way,
LeQuieu said, to build com-
munity and mental health.
“I think we’ve experienced
enough loss with COVID,”
she said. “I don’t think we
need to lose anymore.”
TOM CHRISTENSEN
CHRISTENSEN
TOM
CONSTRUCTION
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245 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845
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