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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2015)
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 Serving others is a family tradition Volunteers and attendees from near and far enjoy holiday meal By SEAN HART Staff Writer Wearing an apron and armed with tongs to serve turkey to hundreds in Herm- iston, Sam Johnson celebrat- ed Thanksgiving the same way he did when he was child. The 23-year-old said he and his wife Karina now live in Rexburg, Idaho. While back in town for the holiday, he said it felt natural to spend part of the day volunteering at the Community Fellow- ship Dinner. ³:H¶YHGRQHWKLVVLQFH, was a kid,” he said. “I love it. It feels great to come and do this.” Once the plates were loaded with turkey, mashed SRWDWRHVVWXI¿QJYHJHWDEOHV and rolls, James Furches was among the volunteers de- livering the free food to the tables. Furches, 17, said this is the sixth Thanksgiving he has helped with the meal. After his older brother vol- unteered seven years ago, he and his mother signed up the following year and have been back ever since. “I enjoy it,” he said. ³:KHQ\RX¶UHQRWEXV\VHUY- ing food, you can talk to peo- ple. I get a lot of interesting stories.” Through the years, Furch- es said he has met a Vietnam veteran who talked about his war experience and another veteran who had to have a limb amputated after an inju- ry in Iraq. Hermiston veteran Dave Bosley was sitting at a table FOOD: STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART From right, Sam Johnson and his wife, Karina, serve a meal to another volunteer after she Ànished her shift at the Community Fellowship 'inner on Thanksgiving 'ay at the Hermiston Senior Center. Sam Johnson said his family has volunteered at the dinners since he was kid, and although he and his wife now live in Rexburg, Idaho, the family tradition lives on. WKLV \HDU HQMR\LQJ KLV ¿UVW Community Fellowship Din- ner. ³, WKRXJKW ,¶G FRPH DQG see what the community is all about,” he said, and added he planned to be back next year. Across the room, Tri-Cit- ies resident Luann Harle was dining with her mother, Leo- na Harpster, a Hermiston res- ident who attends every year. “This is one of the most wonderful things could hap- pen,” Harpster said. “The meal was wonderful, and I make so many friends here.” +DUOHVDLGLWZDVKHU¿UVW time attending and she was glad she came. She said the food was excellent. First-time volunteer Mor- gan Winchester, 16, of Stan- ¿HOGZDLWHGWDEOHV+HUDXQW thought it would be a good idea to serve others in order to be more thankful for what they have, Winchester said. which adds up quickly. Each child gets the same set of food, chosen after considering factors such as nutrition, convenience and the ease with which a small child could transport it home in one piece. “Since we have to pur- FKDVH VSHFL¿F IRRG LW¶V D strain on our resources,” Hughes said. Deb Sprong, counselor at West Park Elementa- ry, said she worries about what will happen to the children she sees if the SURJUDP¶VIXQGLQJFRQWLQ- ues to drop. ³,W¶VDVXFKDZRQGHUIXO program,” she said. “The NLGV EHQH¿W VR PXFK IURP it, you can just tell. They will literally run to my of- ¿FH LI WKH\ NQRZ WKH\ DUH getting food.” STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART Families enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at the Community Fellowship 'inner Thursday at the Hermiston Senior Center. ³,ZRXOGGH¿QLWHO\FRPH back and do this again,” she said. “To see all these people smile was a great experi- ence.” At the dessert table, serv- ing apple and pumpkin pie and cupcakes, 23-year-old Nathaniel Scott said his fam- ily had been volunteering on Thanksgiving since they The Agape House uses specific foods to pack the bags for children participating in the backpack program. To obtain a list of the foods used, or to make a monetary donation so that the food can be purchased in bulk, call 541-567-8774 or visit agapehousehermiston.org. She said children will tell her that they fed their family with the food they brought home, and teach- ers will tell her the student passed on some of their food to a friend who they NQHZ DOVR ZDVQ¶W JRLQJ WR get three meals a day over the weekend. She encouraged people to give whatever they could to allow more hungry chil- dren to be fed. ³(YHQLILW¶V¿YHGROODUV any little amount whatsoev- er would help,” she said. Heidi Sipe, principal of Umatilla School District, said she is extremely grate- ful to the Agape House HEALTHY FRIDAYS Free health screenings: blood pressure checks, weigh ins, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose. Every Third Friday of the Month December 18 • 9:00 - 11:00am GSMC Education Department EARLY PREGNANCY One FREE class focusing on the first six months of pregnancy. Healthcare professional speakers will provide presentations on topics that include medication use, exercise, diet, breastfeeding and many other helpful subjects. Free, but please pre-register. December 10 • 6:30-8:30pm GSMC Conference Room Center 2 BIRTHING CLASSES Two-day course to prepare each mother and birth partner for a knowledgeable, rewarding and sharing childbirth experience. December 11 & 12 Friday: 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Saturday: 9:30 am - 3 pm GSMC Conference Room BREASTFEEDING CLASSES One class covers breastfeeding benefits, pumping and much more. Come to this FREE class taught by a certified lactation consultant, and learn techniques that make for a successful experience. Free, but please pre-register. December 2 • 12:00pm - 1:30pm GSMC Conference Center 3 & 4 For information or to register for a class, call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org The city of Hermiston used jackhammers to dig a hole in the pavement of Northeast Second Street to plant a Christmas Tree for the holiday season. will reopen in January after the tree is removed and the hole covered. continued from Page A1 Revitalizing downtown tor Larry Fetter announced is one of the top priorities the light show in October, Hermiston residents listed he said he planned to uti- in a recent survey asking lize “as many of the festi- what “livability” issues the val lights as possible” from city should prioritize. One group that has the now-disbanded Eastern Oregon Festival of Lights, been working to do so is along with the long-emp- the Hermiston Downtown ty RoeMarks storefront, to Association. The city is help draw shoppers down- holding a tree-lighting cer- town. emony on Thursday in con- “I hope people say, ‘We junction with the associa- have 25 minutes to kill WLRQ¶V)LUVW7KXUVGD\HYHQW EHIRUH WKH QH[W VKRZ OHW¶V The lighting ceremony ORRNDURXQG¶´KHVDLG for the Christmas tree in Eventually the city of the middle of Second Street Hermiston plans to make will be Thursday at 6 p.m., the block of Second Street featuring Santa Claus and between City Hall and East live entertainment. The Main Street a permanent light show will also pre- “festival street” with deco- miere that night. It will rative brickwork, landscap- continue each Thursday, ing, benches and gates that Friday and Saturday every could be closed to block off 30 minutes from 5-9 p.m. the street for events. For until Dec. 26, with live en- now, however, the street tertainment on Thursdays. TREE: To donate continued from Page A1 STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS for its help in her district, where nearly 90 percent of students qualify as low-in- come. The Agape House can serve only a handful of Mc- Nary Elementary School ¿UVWPRYHGWR+HUPLVWRQ years prior. He said he plans to move to Portland soon and KRSHVKHZLOOEHDEOHWR¿QG a similar place to volunteer for the holidays. ³,W¶V UHDOO\ QLFH EHFDXVH you get to connect with other members of the community,” KHVDLG³,FRXOGQ¶WLPDJLQH doing anything else.” students with food for the weekend, but during the week the district uses fed- eral grants to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, as well as dinner to students who participate in the after-school STEM program. “During those formative years, nutrition is critical for kids,” Sipe said. 6KHVDLGLIDFKLOGGRHVQ¶W know if they are going to be able to eat for the next FRXSOH RI GD\V LW¶V KDUG WR concentrate on schoolwork or anything else. ³,I WKDW¶V QRW VRPHWKLQJ they have to worry about over the weekend they can focus on other things,” she said. For anyone interested in helping the backpack program, Hughes said the easiest way is to make a tax-deductible monetary GRQDWLRQ VSHFL¿FDOO\ HDU- marked for the program. If people would rather have a food drive he said he could provide a list of items used in the food bags. FREE FRIDAY MEDICARE MADNESS Medicare Open Enrollment Oct. 15 - Dec. 7 Join us for this FREE event! FREE Medicare Counseling & Information from trained SHIBA volunteers. December 4th Trained volunteers are available in the SHIBA office all year round, call for an individual appointment. GSMC conference rooms 5 & 6 (by the GS Cafeteria) *Bring a list of all the medications you take. For information call (541) 667-3507 or email shiba@gshealth.org