COMMUNITY
A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020
Hermiston puts out 100 K challenge
HERMISTON HERALD
The gyms may be closed
and 5K races canceled, but
the Hermiston Parks and
Recreation Department is
still challenging residents to
get moving.
To replace its usual
spring walk/run challenge,
the department has issued
the Coronavirus 100K Chal-
lenge, giving individu-
als and families an oppor-
tunity to earn prizes based
on a combination of exer-
cise and responsible social
distancing.
Participants can regis-
ter and track their exercise
with the goal of earning 100
kilometers (or 62 miles)
by May 15. They can track
actual miles they run, walk,
or cycle if they are doing
those activities while prac-
ticing safe social distancing,
but can also earn a “mile”
by exercising at home for
15 minutes using a work-
out video, weights or other
methods.
In addition, people can
award themselves two miles
for every day that they suc-
cessfully avoid making any
unnecessary trips out of their
home. They can also log one
mile per day if they avoided
getting sick.
Registration,
which
costs $15 for the fi rst per-
son and $5 apiece for sub-
sequent family or house-
hold members, can be found
online at nit.ly/hermiston-
recreation. All participants
who reach 62 miles, regard-
less of when, will receive a
free T-shirt. Those who log
their miles each day into the
online system and reach the
May 15 goal are eligible to
win other prizes too.
HERMISTON HERALD
HH fi le photo
Greg Anderson completes the Resolution Run in January at
Riverfront Park. The city is encouraging people to exercise.
Food banks are impacted by COVID-19
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The surge in grocery
buying and disruptions to
the supply chain sparked
by COVID-19 are having a
trickle-down effect on food
banks.
Tori Colvard, program
manager for CAPECO,
said the regional organiza-
tion gets the food it distrib-
utes mainly from the Ore-
gon Food Bank. But those
supplies are usually supple-
mented by donations from
retailers.
“We have seen those
numbers take a dive,
because our grocery stores
don’t have that extra prod-
uct,” she said. “They’re sell-
ing out of things.”
Fortunately, Colvard said,
others are stepping up. Indi-
viduals and businesses are
making monetary donations,
and Farmers Ending Hunger,
a nonprofi t consortium of
Oregon farmers, has pledged
this year to double their
donations of vegetables and
other fresh farm products.
In Hermiston, Agape
House director Cathy Put-
nam said their food pantry
saw a dip in visitors when
stay-home measures were
fi rst implemented, but now
they’re seeing an increase.
“We’re seeing families
we’ve never seen before,”
she said.
She said usually the
Agape House hands out
boxes with three to fi ve days’
worth of food, meant to fi ll
in the gap until the person
gets their next paycheck or
benefi ts, but for now they’re
giving more than that.
When school was in ses-
sion, the Agape House ran
a “backpack program” that
each weekend sent food
home with students who
the school knew may not
have enough to eat other-
wise. Now that schools have
switched to distance learn-
ing and are dropping off
meals on bus routes during
the week, the Agape House
is continuing the backpack
program to drop off extra
food on Fridays to students
who need it.
Putnam said they’re
struggling to keep that pro-
gram stocked with ready-to-
eat foods for students such
as crackers, peanut butter,
raisins, granola bars, apple-
sauce cups and canned food,
as many of those items they
used to be able to buy by the
pallet-load are often sold out
at local stores.
A full list of needed
foods can be found at agape-
househermiston.org,
and
the building at 500 Harper
Road is open 9 a.m. to noon
Tuesday through Friday and
1-3 p.m. Tuesday through
Thursday for people to drop
off donations. They are only
taking food and money right
now, not household goods,
Putnam said, to reduce
the number of volunteers
needed to come in and sort
donations.
Putnam said it has been
amazing to see the way peo-
ple have stepped up to help,
from cash donations to the
family who made Easter
baskets for children.
Morrow County plans virtual candidates’ forum
HERMISTON HERALD
Candidates for Mor-
row County offi ces in the
May election will partici-
pate in a virtual forum on
Monday, April 20, begin-
ning at 6 p.m. via the Zoom
online meeting platform
and Facebook Live. All
Morrow County residents
are encouraged to log into
the forum to hear the can-
didates speak, in order
to make informed voting
decisions.
Candidates
participat-
ing in the forum include
Joseph Armato, Jim Doherty,
Joel Peterson and Michael
Sweek, campaigning for
Morrow County Commis-
sioner Position 1; Theresa
Crawford, Glen Diehl and
Kelly Doherty, running for
Morrow County Justice
of the Peace; and Morrow
County Treasurer candidates
Sabrina Bailey Cave, Cody
High, Jaylene Papineau and
Eric Patton. Questions will
be asked of every candidate
by position or to all candi-
dates, if applicable. Each
candidate will be given the
same time to respond.
Immediately
follow-
Hermiston School
District saves
money on bonds
ing the candidates’ forum,
a discussion will be held
about the city of Board-
man’s GO Bond, Ballot
Measure 25-81.
Morrow County res-
idents can submit ques-
tions for the candidates
through Sunday, April 19
to the Boardman Chamber
of Commerce by emailing
torrie@boardmanchamber.
org, by phone at 541-481-
3014, or by text at 541-571-
2394; or to the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce by
email to heppnerchamber@
centurytel.net, by phone at
541-676-5536, or by text
at 503-970-7226. Submit-
ted questions must refer-
ence “Candidates’ Forum”
in the subject line of emails
or texts.
Those wishing to lis-
ten in to the Zoom confer-
ence on April 20 can sign
in before 6 p.m. via the
internet at https://zoom.
us/j/287416202 and type
in Meeting ID 287416202.
Those not able to use Zoom
can call into the meeting
center phone conference
option at 541-676-5692 and
enter access code 13038#,
or visit the Boardman
Chamber’s Facebook page.
The Hermiston School
District offi cially opened
sale of the bonds that will
fund $82.7 million in con-
struction projects over the
next two years.
The bonds, handled by
underwriter Piper Sandler
(Formerly PiperJaffrey),
were priced on March 31
and have a fi nal closing
scheduled for April 9. They
will pay for replacement of
Rocky Heights Elementary
School, a new elementary
school on Theater Lane, a
new annex for Hermiston
High School and property
for future growth.
According to a news
release from the district, in
addition to the sale of the
$82.7 million approved by
voters in November 2019,
it also refi nanced $2.8 mil-
lion of a 2010 bond issue.
The district will realize an
additional $1.7 million in
bond premium, and refund-
ing the 2010 bonds means
a savings of $382,448.
Previously,
fi nancial
experts for the district esti-
mated the bonds would
carry $108 million in inter-
est, but the total inter-
est costs at closing were
only $57.9 million, sav-
ing the district another $50
million.
The district stated these
savings were achieved
through its strong Stan-
dard & Poor’s Global reaf-
fi rmed AA- credit rating
and the market value at the
time of the sale.
According to the news
release, Hermiston vot-
ers can expect to see their
property tax levy rate for
the district to remain steady
at approximately $3.65 per
$1,000 of assessed value
until 2030. Rates are now
expected to drop to approx-
imately $2.16 after that
until 2045, which is almost
a dollar less than the earlier
projections of $3.15.
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
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
1520 W ORCHARD AVE
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am
SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE,
SERVING PEOPLE
www.hermistonnazarene.org
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”
Sunday School...9:15 am
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
541-567-8441
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
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
Worship Service...10:30 am
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