A18 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017
FROM A1
MEAL
BTW
“Without the community
involvement, we couldn’t
continue to provide a place
for people to share a meal
with others,” she said in
2012. “It’s truly a blessing
to be able to do this.”
Recognizing a need for
particular skills, Ball-Kiser
recruited key volunteers in
the early years, including
Cathy Stolz. Owner of the
Chuckwagon Cafe, Ball-
Kiser tapped into Stolz’s
knowledge of food handling
and the use of her warmer
equipment.
“She had a vision and
was innovative. She knew
everyone in the entire com-
munity and how they con-
nected with one another,”
said Stolz, who serves on the
board. “She asked the right
people.”
And that’s thing, Hum-
phreys said, once someone
shows up to assist at a meal,
they come back again and
again. Each year also brings
new volunteers. In addition,
Cassens said many families
have spawned multiple gen-
erations of volunteers.
Heading up the turkey
carving crew, Marks beams
when talking about fam-
ily involvement. He’s espe-
cially proud of nephews
Derek and Devon Marks.
The twins, who were 20 at
the time, carried on the fam-
ily tradition of volunteering
shortly after burying their
father in 2013.
“It’s something you can
do to give back to your com-
munity and it’s quite enjoy-
able,” Marks said. “One fel-
low said last year he never
worked so hard having so
much fun.”
Humphreys said the
meals initially resembled
more of a glorified pot-
luck. However, he said, it
has grown and continued to
improve. Though not served
on fine china, Humphreys
said the food rivals that of
the most flavorful and moist
turkey ever prepared by
grandma.
most since the staff have
been training by work-
ing shifts at Shiki Hibach
Sushi’s Walla Walla and
Kennewick locations. If
people want to bring a
large party or get one of
the six seats that offer an
up-close cooking show
on the grill, she suggested
they make a reservation.
Zhou said she and fellow
manager Pin Jiang have
extensive experience in the
restaurant industry, which
for Zhou has ranged from
being a server in her fami-
ly’s restaurant at age 14 to
owning her own restaurant
in Ellensburg, Washington.
She said the restaurant took
so long to open because
they were concerned about
doing things the right way,
and it took time to cus-
tom-design decor and
kitchen equipment and ship
the pieces over from Japan.
The restaurant at 1240
N First Street opens its
doors for the first time
“about” noon on Friday,
but normal hours will be
11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mon-
day through Thursday, and
11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fri-
day, 12:20-10:30 p.m. Sat-
urday and 12:30-9 p.m. on
Sundays. For more infor-
mation or to make a reser-
vation call 541-303-1558.
• • •
Nearly 2,000 shoe
boxes packed with toys,
clothes and a Gospel mes-
sage are on their way to far
off places this week, thanks
to local churches, civic
groups and businesses.
Operation Christmas
Child, a national gift-giv-
ing charity sponsored by
Samaritan’s Purse, sends
the shoe box-sized pack-
ages to children in need in
more than 100 countries.
They arrive just in time for
Christmas.
For the Hermiston area,
including Gilliam, Mor-
row and western Umatilla
County, there were 1,871
boxes collected, according
continued from Page A1
continued from Page A1
STAFF FILE PHOTO
A whiteboard shows the menu
during a past Community
Fellowship Dinner.
corridor.
“Back in the beginning
it was kind of just a friends
thing,” Kiser said. “If there
was someone that didn’t
have a place to go, we would
invite them.”
The free community meal
officially began in 1988
when the Kisers hosted
30 people on Thanksgiv-
ing. They wanted to offer
food and fellowship to oth-
ers who might otherwise
be alone. The popularity of
the meal doubled in size by
Christmas and was held at
the First Baptist Church (the
building is now owned by
Our Lady of Angels Catho-
lic Church) where the Kisers
and Gibsons were part of the
congregation.
Attendance ballooned,
which resulted in a move to
the Hermiston Senior Cen-
ter. The growth has been
mind-boggling, Kiser said,
serving an average of 700-
800 meals and nearly 900
one year. The high school
offers room for even more
growth. Kiser said they are
preparing for 1,000.
Friendships,
Cassens
said, are made and renewed
during the event. People
aren’t just fed, she said,
they are greeted, served and
treated like guests.
In addition to providing
a good meal, Humphreys
said the goal is to help fos-
ter human contact during the
holiday season. Ball-Kiser
referred to it as a “heart
connection.”
“It was more than a meal,
it was a ministry,” Kiser
said. “And it’s still like that.”
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY TOM MARKS
Cathy Stolz visits with guests during a 2011 Community
Fellowship Dinner. A longtime volunteer, she also serves on
the organization’s board.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY TOM MARKS
Board member Pat Hart and Jan Cassens, vice chair/kitchen
manager, help with Thanksgiving meal preparation during the
2012 Community Fellowship Dinner.
Kisers cook up
holiday connection
The idea for the dinner
sprouted in the mid-1980s
when Joe and Janet Kiser
invited Pete and Myrna Gib-
son and several others to
share a holiday meal. Those
early gatherings, Kiser said,
also included Laurie Ball
(she later married Kiser
after his wife died), who
lived across the apartment
to a local coordinator Barb
Wattenburger. That beat
the goal of 1,800.
Those packages were
added to the regional col-
lection in the Tri-Cities
on Monday, which was
expecting 20,000 boxes.
• • •
Practice paid off for
local student musicians
during the Umatilla-Mor-
row District of the Oregon
Music Teachers Associa-
tion’s Ensemble Festival.
The Nov. 11 event held in
Hermiston drew more than
100 participants.
Local winners include:
Piano, ages 5-11: Connie
Chen, Mimi Chen, April
Lourdes, Victor Lourdes,
Spencer Smith, Dallin
Smith, all of Hermiston.
Piano, ages 15-18: Grace
Blackurst, Lindsey McAl-
lister, both of Hermiston.
Voice, ages 15-18: Fatima
Frasser, Marina Frasser,
both of Stanfield. Also,
Hermiston area music
teachers represented were
Sarah Milburn, Phyllis
Peterson and Holly Rose.
Winning
ensembles
qualified for the Dec. 1
State Ensemble Festival at
Western Oregon Univer-
sity in Monmouth.
• • •
Umatilla School Dis-
trict board member Jon
Lorence recently received
a gold award from the
Oregon School Boards
Association’s
Leader-
ship Institute. A number
of school board members
from across the state were
honored Nov. 11 at the
OSBA’s 71st Annual Con-
vention in Portland.
Jim Green, OSBA’s
executive director, said
the awards recognize local
school board members
whose volunteer service
and dedication help create
a better future for Oregon’s
children. For more infor-
mation, including a com-
plete list of award winners,
visit www.osba.org.
———
You can submit items for
our weekly By The Way
column by emailing tips to
editor@hermistonherald.com
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