A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016
Our Community
MINISTRY PROVIDES HOPE FOR HOMELESS
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Community Editor
A couple of years ago
Mark Leslie found himself
homeless and hungry.
Hearing about Tacos and
Testimonies, Leslie headed
to Desert Rose Ministries
where he was met by peo-
ple that fed him — physi-
cally and spiritually.
Grateful for people
reaching out to him and
knowing he has a unique
ability to touch others that
are homeless, Leslie now
gives back through House
of Hope. The organization,
which is in the process of
getting its nonprofi t status,
is separate from the minis-
try at Desert Rose.
Recently, House of Hope
received a boost from The
Shift Church in Albany. With
a mission of “We exist to live
with one hand to the gutter
and one hand to the sky,”
the idea of helping House
of Hope came about when
parishioner Eric Jefferson
heard the Hermiston minis-
try was serving the homeless.
The Shift, Jefferson said,
chooses charities and tries
to help them out. Erect-
ing a tent in the church’s
gymnasium, he said people
fi lled it with sleeping bags,
hoodies, gloves, personal
hygiene supplies and other
miscellaneous items.
Jefferson was thrilled to
be a part of the project —
especially getting to make
the fi ve-hour drive to deliv-
er the supplies.
“I have a love for Jesus
and a truck,” he said with a
laugh.
Linda Durant, vice chair-
men of the House of Hope
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Eric Jefferson of The Shift Church in Albany brought a pick-up load of donations Nov. 30 for
the House of Hope ministry in Hermiston.
board of directors, was ec-
static with the donation.
“They rounded up a lot
of things we can use,” she
said. “They were very gen-
erous to help meet the needs
of people in this area.”
The ministry, Durant
said, has gained steam in the
past year. In addition to the
all-volunteer executive board,
there are about a dozen li-
aisons — who are affi liated
with local churches or non-
profi t organizations — who
are also voting members.
House of Hope has been
operating in the space with
Desert Rose — providing
outreach to the hungry and
homeless. Monday through
Saturday mornings, people
can drop in from 7-11 a.m. for
coffee, tea and cereal. In the
afternoons, they can return
between 3-6 p.m. for soup
and bread or sandwiches.
“People can stick around
and talk and stay warm,”
Leslie said.
The number of people
served fl uctuates according
to the weather, Durant said.
This past May, around 75
stopped by in the mornings
and 100 in the evenings.
During one of the colder
months last winter, they
saw 175 for breakfast and
188 in the evening.
The board, Durant said,
is hoping to fi nd a larger
space that will accommo-
date administrative offi ces
and a thrift store.
“The full vision for this
is very big, which is hous-
ing the homeless,” she said.
“We’ve been doing what
we can in the interim with
the space we’ve been at.”
Leslie is excited about
the possibilities. It helps in
providing an opportunity
for people to get back on
their feet so they can be-
come productive members
of the community.
“They showed me I was
worth more than I thought
of myself,” he said.
Services provided by
House of Hope are currently
operated out of Desert Rose
Ministries at 512 E. Main
St., Hermiston. For more
information, call Leslie at
541-391-6435 or Durant
at 541-449-5038. In addi-
tion, the public is invited to
board meetings the fourth
Tuesday of each month at
6:30 p.m. at the Hermiston
Assembly of God Church,
730 E. Hurlburt Ave.
Boardman offers twice the holiday fun
Hermiston Herald
Double your holiday fun
this weekend in Boardman
— activities include the Ki-
wanis Breakfast with Santa
and SAGE Saturday.
People can start their
Saturday morning out with
a pancake and sausage
breakfast from 8-10:30
a.m. at the Boardman Se-
nior Center, 100 Tatone St.
Of course, Santa Claus will
be on hand — so parents
should be prepared for pho-
to opportunities.
In addition to the meal,
kids are invited to partici-
pate in a craft activity. Also,
horse-drawn wagon rides
will be provided by Equine
Elegance. The cost is $3 per
person. For more informa-
tion, contact 541-314-4365
or kymberli@boardman-
chamber.org.
Afterwards, people are
encouraged to head to the
SAGE Center for SAGE
Saturday, which features a
Holiday Gift Workshop.
Children and their par-
ents are invited to partic-
ipate Saturday from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the SAGE
Center, 101 Olson Road,
Boardman. Several craft
options are available to
choose from to create a gift
(some supplies are limit-
ed).
There is no charge for
admission or activities. For
more information, call 541-
481-7243 or visit www.vis-
itsage.com.
FILE PHOTO
Children pet the horses while waiting their turn for a carriage
ride during the 2015 Kiwanis Breakfast with Santa. This
year’s event is Saturday at the Boardman Senior Center.
Winter storm wreaks havoc on road trip
As I watched a skiff of
snow begin to form outside
late Monday night, I won-
dered if the traction on my
Nikes would be enough to
safely transport me from the
newsroom door to my Jeep.
I should have worn
my Vibram-soled Merrell
shoes. The weather report
indicated Old Man Winter
was blowing in, but I chose
comfort over practicality.
I like to think I make
rational decisions based
on information available.
However, there was that
time when I was stranded
during a winter storm in
Imnaha.
Friends who travel with
me are convinced that I put
a capital O and C in obses-
sive-compulsive disorder
when it comes to preparing
for trips. So, it still baffl es
me that I actually hit the
road with minimal plan-
ning.
It was nearly 15 years
ago when Bonnie Kessell
and I volunteered to help
Charlotte Jeffries move her
sister’s belongings out of
a remote Wallowa County
house. We didn’t even have
overnight accommodations
arranged.
Before heading out of
town, we stopped by Les shield and we proceeded to
Schwab. Charlotte was sure the gas station with them
that her tread-bare tires protruding like Martian an-
would be just fi ne — mean- tennas.
ing it would be cheaper to
Of course that wasn’t the
merely buy chains.
only technical diffi culty we
I was having none of experienced during the trip.
that — I had seen the bald A big chunk of ice discon-
tires AND the winter storm nected some of the wires
warning. After much con- between the U-Haul and
templation and Les
trailer we had rented.
Schwab
caramel
I surmised we had a
corn, it was decided
50-50 chance in cor-
I would get SkyMiles
rectly matching the
for the privilege of
colored wires. Char-
putting the tires on
lotte decided green
my American Ex-
should go with red.
press card. That was
“They just go to-
the fi rst of many pur- Tammy
gether, like Christmas
Malgesini
chases that contrib- INSIDE MY
colors,” she reasoned.
uted to my next free SHOES
I suggested it could
airline trip.
be black and blue be-
As we headed up Cab- cause that’s what our bod-
bage Hill, it became appar- ies were going to look like
ent the windshield wipers when we short-circuited the
were lacking. Two sets of system, causing a wreck
wiper blades later, they still and resulting in contusions
weren’t functional. Char- and massive hematomas.
lotte decided to head to a gas
It was well after dark
station to fi nd some chival- when we arrived in Imna-
rous man to install them.
ha. Luckily, the owners of
Starting up the engine, the Imnaha Store & Tavern
the bladeless wiper arms also managed a small motel
began wreaking havoc on and RV park. Room No. 2
the windshield. The simple would become home for the
thing would be to merely next couple of days.
turn them off. But no, Char-
In the morning, we hob-
lotte jumped out, pulled the nobbed with the coffee
arms away from the wind- klatch before driving 23
miles on the treacherous
snow-covered
mountain
road. More than an hour
later, we arrived to fi nd that
Charlotte’s sister hadn’t
loaded anything into the
U-Haul.
It became apparent as the
day wore on that we weren’t
going to make it home that
night. Between all the crap
in the house and the storm
warning, which had become
a full-fl edged storm, we
were stuck in Oregon’s east-
ernmost settlement.
We were grateful that
Dave and Sallie had saved
our room for us — not that
anyone else was venturing
to Imnaha during the storm.
We hung out in the store/
tavern, getting our fi ll of
food and Imnaha stories.
It was an adventure,
but I’ve never been back
to Imnaha. I’m afraid our
pictures are on the wall as
Charlotte wrote a hot check
to these kind country folks
who carry big guns.
———
Tammy Malgesini is
the community editor. Her
column, Inside my Shoes,
includes general musings
about life. Contact her at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539.
E-mail your community news items to:
community@hermistonherald.com
IN BRIEF
Library announces
youth holiday
parties
‘Tis the season for hol-
iday parties — and the
Hermiston Public Library
has a pair planned for area
youths.
The fi rst one, which
is open to kids in fi fth
grade and younger, is Fri-
day from 4:30-6 p.m. The
Candy Land Holiday Par-
ty features craft projects,
cookie decorating (and
eating), games and activi-
ty booths. There is no ad-
mission charge.
For grades 6-12, the
Teen Advisory Council
will meet Monday, Dec.
19, at 4 p.m. Those at-
tending should bring a
present valued at $5 and
be prepared to “steal” a
gift when it’s their turn.
Also, bring your inner art-
ist for cookie decorating.
Also, an ornament hunt is
planned Wednesday, Dec.
21 between 11 a.m. and 4
p.m. Prizes will be award-
ed for fi nding all 10 orna-
ments.
The library is located
at 235 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston. For more in-
formation, call 541-567-
2882.
Aglow celebration
features holiday fun
A holiday celebration
featuring the viewing of
a comedy DVD with Ken
Davis is planned for the
December Walla Walla
Aglow Community Light-
house.
The public is invited
to attend Saturday at 10
a.m. at Whitman Court,
305 Ash St., Walla Walla.
A freewill offering will be
taken for the event, which
includes lunch.
The author of 12 books,
Davis heads up Lighten
Up ministries, which pro-
duces inspirational and
motivational live shows,
DVDs, books and confer-
ences designed to make
a positive difference in
people’s lives. The event
also features the singing
of Christmas carols.
Aglow is an interna-
tional organization that
ministers to its members
and shares God’s word in
the community. For more
information, call Kathy
Owsley at 509-540-2684,
Lora Sykes at 509-540-
0212 or visit www.ecwa-
glow.
Irrigon sets holiday
food drive
Santa and maybe an elk
or two will appear during
the Holiday Food Drive in
Irrigon.
Sponsored by the
Friends of Irrigon Li-
brary and the Irrigon Fire
Department, people are
asked to bring non-perish-
able food items to donate
to needy families in Irri-
gon. The event is Saturday
from 4-7 p.m. at the Huwe
residence, North Wash-
ington and First streets,
Irrigon.
The free event includes
cocoa, cider, coffee, cook-
ies and candy canes for
the little ones.
For more information,
call 541-922-0138.
Giving Tree helps
kids in Irrigon
The Irrigon Giving
Tree is available for the
public to help area chil-
dren in need during the
holiday season.
The tree is set up in the
lobby at Irrigon City Hall/
library, 490 N.E. Main St.
People can take a tag or
two with children’s gift
information, shop for gifts
and wrap them.
The gifts need to be
returned with the tag at-
tached by Monday, Dec.
19. For more information,
contact Aaron Palmquist
at 541-922-3047 or man-
ager@ci.irrigon.or.us.
Bookminders to
discuss bestseller
A feel-good story about
the angry man next door
is featured during the
upcoming Bookminders
meeting.
The Hermiston Public
Library’s book club will
discuss “A Man Called
Ove” by Fredrik Back-
man. The meeting, which
is open to the public, is
Wednesday, Dec. 14, at
1:30 p.m. at The Pheasant
Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston.
A New York Times best-
seller, the story unfolds
after new neighbors fl at-
ten an old man’s mailbox.
It leads to a warm and
comical tale of crazy cats,
unexpected friendship and
the art of backing up a
U-Haul.
The club meets the sec-
ond Wednesday of each
month. For more informa-
tion, call 541-567-2882.
Elgin Opera House
stages holiday
favorite
‘Tis the season — the
Elgin Opera House has
just the performance to
get people into the holiday
spirit.
“A Christmas Story:
The Musical” is based on
one of the most popular
Christmas movies of all
time. Set in the 1940s,
the story follows Ralphie
Parker and his quest for
the Holy Grail of Christ-
mas gifts — an offi cial
Red Ryder carbine-action
200-shot range model
air rifl e. The 9-year-old
plots numerous schemes
to achieve his desperate
desire for the coveted BB
gun.
Performances are Fri-
days and Saturdays (through
Dec. 23) at 7:30 p.m. and
matinée shows are Satur-
days (through Dec. 24) at
2:30 p.m. Tickets range
from $8 to $17.
For more information,
call 541-663-6324 or visit
www.elginoperahouse.com.
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 110 ● NUMBER 48
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
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advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
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