Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current, April 01, 2020, Image 4

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Hermiston herald., April 01, 2020, Page 4, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextCOMMUNITY A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2020 Local farmers work to aid COVID-19 afﬂ icted families By BRETT KANE STAFF WRITER Kenzie Hansell has been farming wheat for Farm- ers Ending Hunger since the nonproﬁ t’s inception in 2004, but this year he’ll be doubling his efforts. The organization, which takes produce donations from farmers around the state and ships them to food banks, set a goal earlier this month to double their output in order to supply the Ore- gon Food Bank and smaller organizations to provide area families who are in the midst of ﬁ nancial strain in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak with enough food to make it through the crisis. According to a recent press release, an average of 84,000 children in Oregon rely on meals from emer- gency food boxes. “Our board of direc- tors decided that, in this time of need, we donate our efforts,” Farmers Ending Hunger Founder and Pres- ident Fred Ziari of Herm- iston said. “We asked our growers to give more, which has never been an issue in the past.” Although wheat and alfalfa are their primary produce, Hansell Farms also grow grass seed, lima beans, and carrots. They also lease a portion of their land to watermelon, onion, and potato farmers. “EVERYONE NEEDS TO EAT. EVERYONE IS IMPACTED BY THIS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER — PRODUCER OR CONSUMER.” Kenzie Hansell, who is farming wheat for Farmers Ending Hunger “It’s a goal, and that’s the most important thing,” said Hansell, who runs farms in Athena and Hermiston with his brothers, T.J. and Luke. “It’s a situation where food insecurity is on a lot of peo- ple’s minds. If us farmers can come together, we will continue to be connected and work as a state to make sure some people’s insecuri- ties can be met.” Hansell’s farm in Athena is roughly 2,500 acres of owned and leased land that primarily grows wheat and alfalfa. The wheat that he donates is used for pancake mix at Pendleton’s Grain Craft and Continental Mills based out of Seattle. “This is good product,” Hansell said. “Everyone needs to eat. Everyone is impacted by this in one way or another — producer or consumer.” Hansell and his broth- ers spend their days plant- ing, seeding, working the ground, and harvesting their product to ready it for donation. They are part of approximately 100 farms across the state working with Farmers Ending Hun- ger to aid in coronavirus relief. The nonproﬁ t delivers to food banks across the state, at minimum, once a month. “This is a time where people are afraid,” Ziari said. “Food shelves are empty. People are losing their jobs. The stress of food insecurity is even greater (now). We as a farming community wanted to make sure our fellow Oregonians are not hungry.” The nonproﬁ t’s efforts will likely span all year long and into the next, according to Executive Director John Burt. “It’s planting time right now, and they’re planting extra,” said Burt, a resident of Dallas. “It’ll grow as the year goes on. The response is positive from the growers. They understand the issue, and they want to help.” Along with the portion of their harvest donated by participating farmers, addi- tional help from food pro- cessors and public donations aid Farmers Against Hunger in their mission. Last year, Eastern Oregon farmers in Umatilla and Morrow coun- ties donated more than 3 million pounds of produce. Their goal of doubling that number this year will help food banks struggling to keep up with need. “Food banks are scram- bling right now,” Burt said. “Lots of people are going to need food, and lots of people are afraid to go out. They’re going to run out of things. People are also going to be out of work. That unem- ployment check might not come soon enough. Farm- ers, we’re still going. Noth- ing has changed.” While the day-to-day routine for participating farmers has remained rela- tively unchanged, Farmers Ending Hunger has faced its share of setbacks due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They were the target nonproﬁ t for the Dancing With the Pend- leton Stars event that was canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus spread, along with two fundraisers set for April. The organization accepts public help through their Adopt-an-Acre program. Supporters can donate at www.farmersendinghunger. com, or send contributions to P.O. Box 7361, Salem, OR 97303. Photo contributed by Kenzie Hansell From left to right: Kenzie, Luke, and T.J. Hansell are among the over 100 farmers across the state doubling their eﬀ orts to supply Farmers Ending Hunger with enough produce to aid families aﬄ icted by the COVID-19 outbreak. WORSHIP COMMUNITY Plaza project seeks artists for mural designs Contest open to artists throughout the region By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR The Milton-Freewater Downtown Alliance is look- ing for Umatilla County art- ists to help paint their town. Plans are underway to create the Freewater Square plaza, which is envisioned as a community gather- ing place, said Julie Cul- jak, executive director of the Milton-Freewater Down- town Alliance. It will be located in an underused lot on the corner of North Main and Fifth Avenue. As part of the Freewater Square project, the down- town alliance is holding a mural competition and is seeking artists to submit designs. Plans include the installation of four individ- ual wall panels. “We’ve been wanting to improve our downtown dis- trict,” Culjak said “People seem to be gravitating to these types of plazas.” The contest is open to all artists living in Umatilla and Union counties in Oregon, the best thing about Sundays 1520 W ORCHARD AVE Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am Contributed by MFDA Conceptual drawings of the Freewater Square plaza. The Milton-Freewater Downtown Alliance is seeking entries from artists from throughout the region for a mural contest as part of the project. and Columbia and Walla Walla counties in Wash- ington. Participants may be individual artists or teams of two-three members. The team leader must be at least 18 years old. There is no entry fee to submit a design for consider- ation. The ﬁ nalists, who will paint their winning mural, will receive a cash award of $500. The mural installa- tion is currently set for May 1-15. However, the time- frame may be adjusted for weather or community gath- ering restrictions because of COVID-19. Themes for the murals, which will measure 15 feet by 15 feet, should highlight Milton-Freewater’s unique culture. Designs could focus on the area’s agriculture, multi-cultural inﬂ uences, pioneer history, arts and cul- ture, the Blue Mountains and more. Organizers encourage artists to submit uplifting, colorful, fun and engaging designs that are suitable for community gatherings. Paint and other materials will be provided. Artists also are welcome to bring their own painting tools. For more information about the mural contest, including rules and an entry form, visit www.mfdown- town.org and click on “Proj- ects.” For questions, contact Culjak at mfda.director@ gmail.com or 541-861-1208. be identiﬁ ed with the stu- dent’s name, grade, teach- er’s name, school’s name and address, and be mailed to: Theresa Rea, Oregon State Archives, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem OR 97310. way for fans and students to show support for their school. In addition, he said the program demonstrates the bank’s commitment to helping local communities prosper through a robust activities program. “We encourage everyone to sign up for this mascot card supporting their school, as 5 cents per transaction adds up,” Propheter said. Initially chartered as the Gilliam County Bank in 1945 in Arlington, it expanded a decade later and changed its name to Bank of Eastern Oregon. Based in Heppner, BEO has 20 branch locations and ﬁ ve loan pro- duction ofﬁ ces across the region. For more informa- tion, visit www.beobank. com or call 541-676-0201. authorities.” “We look forward to being able to welcome everyone back to the library without the worry of safety,” library director Mark Rose said. Online services, such as audio books and e-books, are still available at hermistonli- brary.us. For more informa- tion, call 541-567-2882. BRIEFS Blue Book seeks student essays All elementary and mid- dle school students are encouraged to reﬂ ect on their favorite activities, offerings and memories of Oregon’s state parks. Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno invites kids to write down their thoughts and enter the 2021-22 Ore- gon Blue Book Essay Con- test. The Oregon Blue Book, published biennially since 1911, is the ofﬁ cial state almanac and fact book. The theme of the con- test is 100 years of Oregon’s state parks. Next year Ore- gon will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of its ﬁ rst state park. Essays should answer the question: “What is your favorite Ore- gon State Park and why?” Students are also encour- aged to illustrate their essays with drawings. Contest winners’ entries will be included in the 2021- 22 edition of the Oregon Blue Book. The winners will be invited to the Oregon Capitol for the ofﬁ cial Blue Book release party and cele- bration in early 2021. For contest information and details, visit https:// sos.oregon.gov/blue-book. The deadline for entries is Oct. 22. Each essay must Schools cash in with BEO mascot debit cards A number of school dis- tricts across the region are featured in the Bank of East- ern Oregon’s exclusive mas- cot debit card program. Bank customers can show their colors as they support local high school sports and activity programs. BEO’s mascot debit card program began in 2013 and currently serves high school associ- ated student body programs in Athena, Boardman, Con- don, Heppner, Ione, Irrigon and Colfax, Washington. The program generates 5 cents per transaction per- formed with the mascot card to that school’s program and the full annual renewal fee for each card ($10) also goes directly to the ASB. Since the inception of the school mascot debit card program, more than $35,000 has been contributed to ASB programs. The program, said Gary Propheter, BEO executive vice president and chief operations ofﬁ cer, is a great Library suspending curbside pickups The Hermiston Public Library is suspending its curbside service for now. After the library closed to the public, staff had still been offering the option to call for a book and pick it up. On Friday, the library announced in a news release it was ending the practice for now and the duration of the suspension will “be determined based on direc- tion from state and federal Me and My Prince Ball postponed until 2021 Due to uncertainties of the ongoing coronavi- rus pandemic, the Me and My Prince Ball commit- tee has decided to postpone the annual father-daughter dance until next year. In its 16th year, the next Me and My Prince Ball will be held May 15, 2021, at Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center in Hermis- ton. Businesses and indi- viduals who have already made contributions for the 2020 ball are being notiﬁ ed of the change in plans. They are being given the option to either be reimbursed or stay on as sponsors for the 2021 dance. United Way’s online sponsorship form (www. uwbluemt.org/sponsorship) will remain open for those who would like to support next year’s ball. SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE, SERVING PEOPLE www.hermistonnazarene.org Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday ...............................English 7:00 am Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm ...............................Spanish 7:00 pm SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am ..........................Bilingual 11:00 am ..............................Spanish 1:00 pm Office..............................567-5812 St. Johns Episcopal Church Join Us On Our Journey With Jesus. Scripture, Tradition and Reason Family service 9am Sunday N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston t. PH: 567-6672 We are an all inclusive Church who welcomes all. The Full Gospel Home Church NEW BEGINNINGS 235 SW 3rd Phone 567-7678 Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker Sunday: Sunday School........10:00 am Worship...................11:00 am Evening Service........7:00 pm Wednesday Service..7:00 pm “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7 Worship Service 10:30 AM Sunday School 9:00 AM Pastor J.C. Barnett Children’s Church & Nursery Available 700 West Orchard Avenue P.O. Box 933 Hermiston, Oregon First Christian Church LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH “Proclaiming the Message of Hope, Living the Gospel of Love” CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 541-567-8441 125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232 Sunday School...9:15 am Pastor David Dever Worship Service...10:30 am 567-3013 Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm 775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston www.hermistonlmbc.com Children’s Church 10:45 am Seventh-day Adventist Church Saturdays Sabbath School........9:30 a.m. Worship Service......11:00 a.m. English & Spanish Services 567-8241 Hermiston Jr. Academy 1300 NW Academy Lane, • Hermiston To share your worship times call 541-278-2678