COMMUNITY
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
Shoebox gifts off er holiday hope
National Collection Week
is Nov. 15-22
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Hermiston Herald
It takes a village when
it comes to coordinating
eff orts for Operation Christ-
mas Child — that’s the sen-
timent of both Barb Wat-
tenburger, Hermiston area
drop-off leader, and Carol
Frink, who heads up collec-
tion eff orts at Stanfi eld Bap-
tist Church.
An outreach ministry of
the international Christian
relief organization Samari-
tan’s Purse, shoebox-sized
packages are fi lled with
toys, hygiene items, school
supplies and other small
gifts, which are distrib-
uted across the globe. OCC
shares God’s love in a tan-
gible way, letting disadvan-
taged children know that
they are special. People
are encouraged to include
a note of encouragement, a
photo or Bible verse with
their package.
Often, Frink said, it’s the
fi rst gift some of the chil-
dren have ever received. An
item as simple as a tooth-
brush gives them something
of their own that they don’t
have to share with dozens of
other kids.
“Something we see as
being so insignifi cant can
really make a diff erence
for children that don’t have
anything,” Frink said. “As
humans, that’s the least we
can do.”
Operation
Christmas
Child is launching National
Collection Week Nov.
15-22. Locally, people can
drop shoebox gifts off at
New Hope Community
Church in Hermiston. From
there, the boxes are taken to
the Tri-Cities, before head-
ing to a processing center in
preparation for international
distribution.
When Samaritan’s Purse
established a drop-off loca-
tion in Hermiston a decade
ago, Wattenburger became
a year-round volunteer with
OCC. For a handful of years
prior to that, she transported
boxes to the Tri-Cities col-
lection site.
And it’s not a solo eff ort
in the Wattenburger house-
hold, as she recruited her
husband, Paul. In addition,
she’s teaching multi-gen-
erational giving back by
including her grandchildren.
“Packing OCC boxes
is one of our activities at
Camp Wattenburger,” she
said.
Stanfi eld Baptist wraps
up eff ort
Frink is overwhelmed
with gratitude by the
response of her church fam-
ily. The fi rst year resulted in
more than a dozen gift-fi lled
boxes — and then, the eff ort
exploded.
“In 2014, we had 128
shoeboxes. We thought that
was huge coming from 14,”
Frink said. “We all have a
heart for hurting children.”
Over the past few years,
Frink said congregants at
Stanfi eld Baptist have really
stepped up. Initially, she
set a church goal of 400 in
2020. However, when OCC
offi cials expressed concern
that the global pandemic
might result in lower par-
ticipation, she approached
the congregation, who
responded by collecting
enough items to pack 503
shoeboxes.
Wattenburger said she
had no idea what to expect
in 2020. However, she was
excited to share that the
number of shoeboxes col-
lected in the area increased,
with donations coming
from 20 churches and sev-
eral businesses.
“We are not just excited
about the large numbers,
but more importantly that
each one of those boxes
represents a child who was
reached and shown that they
are special and loved as an
individual,” Wattenburger
said.
Ever the optimist, Frink
increased this year’s goal
to 600. During a packing
party, held Oct. 28, the fi nal
count was 619.
“It takes a village to pull
this off ,” she said in a Face-
book post. “I am so grateful
for our church family and
their faithful support.”
Individuals,
service
groups, businesses and
churches are invited to fi ll
shoebox-size
packages
with gifts. More informa-
tion, including gift guide-
lines, an option to track
your shoebox and an oppor-
tunity to virtually “Build a
Box,” is available at www.
samaritanspurse.org/occ. A
donation of $9 is requested
to assist with shipping and
other project costs.
Maria Hurty/Contributed Photo
Congregants from Stanfi eld Baptist Church participate in a
shoebox gift packing party Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, for Operation
Christmas Child. An outreach ministry of the international
Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, the gifts will be
distributed to disadvantaged children across the globe.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
DROP-OFF LOCATION
New Hope Community
Church
1350 S. Highway 395,
Hermiston
• Monday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.; 5-7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 17,
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.; 5-7 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. to
1 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 21, noon to
2 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
Contact: Barb or Paul
Wattenburger at pauland-
barbw@gmail.com, 541-
567-8650 or 541-626-3159.
Hermiston High School FFA students place at the National FFA competition
Ag issues Forum Team
takes third place in
Indianapolis
Hermiston Herald
The Hermiston FFA
Agricultural Issues Forum
Team competed at the
FFA National Conven-
tion on Oct. 27. This was
the semi-fi nal round of the
competition after the team
had previously competed
virtually in the regional
round of competition ear-
lier this year.
A fi eld of the best 16
teams from across the
nation faced off in the
semi-fi nals, and Hermiston
FFA advanced to the fi nal
round to compete against
the top four teams.
In the fi nal round, the
teams started with a clean
slate and their fi nal plac-
ings were decided based
on their performance in the
fi nals and round of ques-
tions. They also performed
in front of a brand new
panel of judges and, for the
fi rst time, a live audience
of several thousand FFA
members, advisors and
convention guests.
After a 24-hour wait,
the fi nal placings were
announced at the National
FFA Convention’s Second
Business Session in front
of a crowd of over 53,000
in Lucas Oil Stadium
(home of the Indianapolis
Colts).
With hundreds of thou-
sands more watching on
the FFA livestream and
RFD TV, Hermiston FFA
was recognized as the
third-place team in the
United States. The awards
presentation also included
individual Gold Medals for
the team members and a
Hermiston School District/Contributed Photo
The Hermiston High School FFA Ag Issues Team (Abby Conner,
Alexis Leathers, Daytona Tracy, Keeva Hoston, Anna Guerrero,
Cidney Estes and Grant Hills) pose for a photo Friday, Oct. 29.
cash prize for the Hermis-
ton FFA Chapter.
The team consists of
Hermiston students and
recent graduates who have
been competing for more
than 10 months to reach this
point. The team members
are Alexis Leathers, Cid-
ney Estes, Anna Guerrero,
Abby Conners, Grant Hills,
Daytona Tracy and Keeva
Hoston.
“These students repre-
sent some of the best and
brightest young minds in the
United States. I am beyond
proud of the hard work and
dedication that they have
put in to accomplish this
amazing
achievement,”
Sandy McKay, Hermiston
FFA advisor, said.
The “Ag Issues” Career
Development
Event
requires FFA members to
select a contentious issue at
the forefront of agriculture,
research it and create a skit
with both sides of the issue
being debated to demon-
strate the pros and cons of
the topic.
Hermiston chose the
emerging Vertical Farm-
ing industry as its topic and
compared it to traditional
farming in a skit that mim-
icked a classroom setting.
After performing the skit,
the Hermiston Ag Issues
Team faced questions from
respected industry judges,
at each level of competition,
to reach the pinnacle of FFA
competition: the National
Convention stage in India-
napolis, Ind.
The Hermiston FFA
Agricultural Communica-
tions Team also competed at
the FFA National Conven-
tion on Oct. 27. As with the
Ag Issues team, this was the
semi-fi nal round of the com-
petition after the team previ-
ously competed virtually in
the regional round of com-
petition earlier this year.
A fi eld of the best 16
teams from across the
nation faced off in the
semi-fi nals and the competi-
tion highlighted some of the
best and brightest students
in the country. The Hermis-
ton FFA Chapter was recog-
nized as one of the best in
the fi eld, as they received
the second-highest award
possible with a Silver Team
Award and plaque. The
awards also included indi-
vidual medals for each team
member based on their indi-
vidual placings.
Participants in the Agri-
cultural Communications
Career Development Event
work as a team of com-
munication consultants to
develop a written media
plan, present the plan to
a panel of judges, and, as
individuals, apply what they
have learned during practi-
cums, a quiz, and editing
exercise. This team CDE
challenges students to com-
municate eff ectively while
advocating to consumers
about agriculture and tell-
ing the FFA story. Students
will use a variety of media
in their plans: social media,
broadcast and print adver-
tising, press releases, fl iers,
brochures, blogging, dis-
plays, and more.
The Hermiston FFA team
is made up of four students:
Kylie Temple, Ashlyn Hof-
bauer, Cadence Cooley and
Elizabeth Doherty. The stu-
dents have been work-
ing on this competition for
ten months. They won the
Oregon state title, moved
through the fi rst round of
nationals, and competed
strongly in the semi-fi nals
round in Indianapolis.
“Both the Agricultural
Issues and Communications
November 5th & 6th • 9am-1pm
Located at the old Affordable Family Eyewear building on Hwy 395
in Hermiston (across from Oxford Suites)
All money raised is for the stray animals in need of vet care.
We have some great Raffle prizes from OMG Burgers and Brew, Delish Bistro, Walmart & La Palma.
Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 • All items at the sale are donation prices.
Thank you for your support of the animals in need. Donations are tax deductible.
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
have been so supportive in
this process and always kept
kids fi rst.”
Both teams will be rec-
ognized at the Board of
Education’s
November
business meeting to high-
light their participation
and success at the national
competition.
November 5-6-7, 2021
26th Annual Christmas
FINE ART
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NEW! BUY TICKETS ONLINE!
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Friday
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Saturday 9 AM —6 PM
CusterShows.com Sunday 10 AM —4 PM
509.924.0
HAPO Center | Pasco, WA
$
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F r e e P a r k in g
All local, state and federal Covid-19 protocols will be followed.
Church
DIRECTORY
First Christian Church
CAN/BOTTLE DRIVE & RAFFLE
teams spent countless hours
and months preparing,”
Tom Spoo, Hermiston High
School principal, said. “It
is impressive how well the
kids performed given all the
distractions while prepar-
ing. I want to thank the HHS
staff members, as well as
the parents and alumni who
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Join Us
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
541-567-6672
JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE
CONGREGATION
ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Services 9:00am Sundays
In-person or streaming
on Facebook or Zoom
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
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
Sunday Gathering: 10:00 AM
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............5:00pm
Tues. Creation Club (Sept-May)..4:30pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......5:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Hermiston Christian
Center & School
Nursery care is available 3 years & under
Kids Club available 4 years-5th grade
Sunday Prayer Gathering: 6:00 PM
NEED PRAYER? CONTACT US!
1825 W. Highland Ave.
541-567-3480 | hcc4u.org
hcc4u2020@gmail.com
Seventh-day
COME WORSHIP
Adventist Church WITH US AT THE
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
Sundays at 11:00am
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
COUNTRY
CHURCH
32742 Diagonal Rd.
Hermiston, OR
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
541-289-4774
Please go to fuzzballanimalrescue.com for more
information about adopting, fostering or donating to our rescue.
Mail in donations also accepted, please send to: PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact
Audra Workman 541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com