The INDEPENDENT, January 6, 2005
Page 3
tatters_______
Support for Vernonia
Cares described as
“Overwhelming”
To the Editor:
Overwhelming! That’s the
measure of support Vernonia
Cares Food Bank received, es
pecially over the holidays.
Cares received donations of
canned food, turkey and hams,
saver shields; purchase of
fresh vegetables for the holiday
boxes; direct monetary dona
tions from private citizens,
groups and businesses; food
drives like Hoops for the Holi
days, Scouting for Food Cam
paign, Mike’s Tree Farm, and
the VHS Junior Class food
drive. All these designated con
tributions allowed Cares to give
113 holiday grocery boxes,
complete with a turkey. Thank
you, one and all, who made this
happen!
You’ve brightened many
people’s holidays and also
shown, once again, how great
your support is to Vernonia
Cares Food Bank. We continue
to be your hands extended to
the hungry in and around Ver
nonia.
To date, over fifty responses
to our December bulk mailing
project (a new effort for Cares)
has been very encouraging.
(Responses can still be mailed
to us). Cares received many
generous end-of-the-year con
tributions, too, which are stabi
lizing our financial situation for
2005.
We’re working hard on be
half of our clients to plan for the
future. Thanks for making that
future much brighter!
Sandy Welch,
Executive Director
Vernonia Cares Food Bank
Know which United
Way you’re helping
To the Editor:
It’s not the same United
Way.
Like the residents of Cowlitz
By Ann Krutsinger, Library Assistant
Banks Public Library
The Banks Public Li
brary has an extensive
collection of magazines
available to be checked
out. I’ve said this before,
but it is worth repeating
because we have a
plethora of new titles.
In the activities or
sports department, we
now have a subscription
:o Sports Illustrated. Our newest titles include
Skiing, Ski, Western Horseman, Golf Digest,
Golf For Women, Bicycling, Field and Stream,
Salmon Trout & Steelhead and Outdoor Life.
Other new periodical subscriptions include
Portland Monthly, American Patchwork Quilting,
Working Mother and Quilter’s Newsletter. For
the kids we now have Nickelodeon, which is very
Dopular. In addition, we have Dirt Bike, Dirt Rid
er, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Thrasher, YM and
Teen People. The Banks Public Library is one of
the few Washington County Libraries that allows
:heckout of the current issue. Our magazines
are available for one week checkout.
Now that the holidays have passed, many
people will be beginning to do their “spring”
cleaning. We welcome the materials donations
that result. We do have a list of “donation guide
lines” that are helpful when you are loading up
boxes of books and magazines for donation.
Here are the highlights:
If you have a large quantity of items to donate
(boxes), please contact the library in advance to
schedule an appointment when staff has the
time to thoroughly go through them.
and Wahkiakum Counties,
many of you have reported re
ceiving solicitation letters from
United Way of the Columbia-
Willamette in Portland. I want to
make sure that everyone un
derstands that the United Way
of the Columbia-Willamette and
the Columbia County United
Way are different organiza
tions. United Way of Columbia
County raises funds in Colum
bia County for Columbia Coun
ty. United Way of the Columbia-
Willamette raises funds for the
Portland area only.
We have received inquiries
from several of you asking if we
have changed our name and
why is the return address in
Portland? We have not
changed our name and our re
turn address is still in Rainier. If
you send a donation to Colum
bia-Willamette your money will
go to Portland and stay in the
Portland
area.
Columbia-
Willamette did a bulk mailing
and did not remove the zip
codes for our area from this
BOOKS: In general, books need to be in
good condition. If they are best sellers, they
should be fairly recent.
• No Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
• No text books
• No encyclopedias
• No yellowed paperbacks
MAGAZINES: The Friends are pleased to sell
back issues of your subscriptions.
• Only most recent 2-3 months of a magazine
• No pamphlets
• No Reader’s Digest Magazines
We do accept some donations of current sub
scriptions to be put in our collection; please see
library staff about this.
VIDEOS & CDs: We do accept video and
DVD donations gladly. Please make sure they
are in working order. We do not accept music do
nations at this time to add to our collection, but
will sell them for the Friends benefit.
Unfortunately, the library does not have the
storage space or the staff time to accept all the
donations we are offered. We try to do our best
to accommodate most donations. Thanks for all
your gifts!
Remember, NW Fibers in Hillsboro accepts
hardback books for recycling.
Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street.
Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 12 - 7:00 p.m.;
Fri. and Sat. 1 2 - 5 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15
a.m.
Phone: (503)324-1382
Internet: www.WiLlnet.wccis.lib.or.us. to
browse library resources or to reserve
with lots of ideas for the coming
year. A web site is nearing
completion and is just about
ready to go live. Watch for it at
www.vernoniachamber.com.
Our meetings for the year
will alternate between break
fast, lunch and dinner. The first
meeting for this year will be
January 12 at 7:00 a.m. at the
Buckhorn Restaurant. Noni An
dersen will present information
about the new Visitors’ Guide
for Vernonia. This is a perfect
meeting for business owners to
find out how your business can
be in this guide.
On January 20, the chamber
You made “Holiday is sponsoring a class on finan
cial planning for businesses.
Bucks” successful
The instructor will be a repre
sentative from the Portland
To the Editor:
SCORE office. If you have a
On behalf of the Vernonia business and need this service,
Chamber of Commerce I would or if you are thinking about
like to give a great big THANK opening a business, don’t miss
YOU to the local participating this opportunity. The chamber
merchants and shoppers of is is offering this class free to
Vernonia for making the “Holi anyone in Vernonia. Call the
day Bucks” promotion a HUGE number below if you are inter
success. Not only did the par ested. The class will be at 6:30
ticipating merchants benefit p.m. in the Scout Cabin.
from this program, but the
Remember, you do not have
shoppers did, too.
to be a chamber member to
2,517 entries were turned in, come to a meeting. If you have
which means that $125,850 any questions or are interested
was spent in Vernonia in a little in joining the chamber, please
over 3 weeks. This went way call me at 503-429-5201 or
beyond ANYONE’S wildest send a request to Vernonia
dreams!! (That’s without con Area Chamber of Commerce,
sidering how many cards didn’t P.O. Box 7, Vernonia, OR
get filled out and turned in!)
97064.
The winners of the $25 cer
Donna Webb, President
tificates were Kim Tierney,
Vernonia Area
Marie Krahn and Sue Wren.
Chamber of Commerce
Winners for the final drawing on
December 23 were; Joe Kim -
Successful
Donut
$50 certificate, Pam Smith -
$75 certificate and Margaret Day helps food bank
Brown - $100 certificate. Con
To the Editor:
gratulations to all!!
On December 18, the sec
We will be running this pro
gram again next year so look ond annual Donut Day event
for it to be announced early in was held at the St. Helens Po
lice Department. Donut Day is
November 2005.
Again, Thanks To All for par an event to benefit the Colum
ticipating in this GREAT pro bia Pacific Food Bank. Volun
teers at the Police Department
gram!!!
Sincerely, traded Krispy Kreme donuts for
Janie Wasmann perishable and non-perishable
Holiday Bucks Promotion food items or sold donuts for
Vernonia Area cash.
Donut Day was once again
Chamber of Commerce
very successful, with cash do
nations totaling almost $1,650
Vernonia Chamber is and total food donations weigh
eager to act in 2005 ing in at 2,575 pounds. All pro
ceeds of the event go to bene
fit the Columbia Pacific Food
To the Editor:
The chamber board for 2005 Bank to assist them in combat-
Please see page 20
is very excited and energetic
mailing.
Columbia County United
Way has contacted Columbia-
Willamette to ensure this does
not happen again. We apolo
gize for any confusion this may
have caused our donors.
Please remember, if you
wish to support your local Unit
ed Way of Columbia County,
you may mail your contribution
to P.O. Box 538, Rainier, OR
97048, or call 503-556-3614.
Kathye Beck,
Executive Director
Columbia County
United Way