11 April 2013
Hungry Kids Prompt Compassionate Response
Marilyn Barba was shocked when she heard about it.
Marilyn Barba – “We found out that there’s such a need that nobody knew about of hungry children on the weekends that some of them had resorted to going through dumpsters.”
She’s not talking about a third world country or conditions in other parts of the U.S. It’s right here in Florence where school administrators believe as many as 60 students in the primary and elementary schools don’t get enough food at home.
Marilyn Barba – “The little kids are the ones that are absolutely helpless. They come to school on Monday mornings very listless, or anxious or disruptive. They’re not able to focus on learning because they’re hungry.”
Barba and other members of the Cross Road Women’s Ministry took things into their own hands. In October they began putting together food bags containing non-perishable weekend meals for 20 students. Recent donations allowed them to expand that to 30.
Marilyn Barba – “Mr. Harklerode told me just before Easter, he says, I have kids stopping me in the hallway thanking me for the food. So, we’re meeting a need.”
Principal Mike Harklerode and Barba both stressed the dignity and privacy of each student was very important. They address that by providing meals in an unmarked bag that goes into the child’s backpack. That way, by the time they get back to school Monday they can focus on being a kid… and a student… and not a hungry statistic.
Tribal Lands Restoration Sought
Public meetings about a proposal to transfer control of thousands of acres of land under federal jurisdiction to tribal interests will be held in Western Oregon beginning this weekend.
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw chair Bob Garcia said the hearings will be held Sunday afternoon at the Coos Bay Public Library, Monday evening at seven at the Reedsport Library, then again Tuesday, seven pm at the Mapleton Grange.
Tribal members are seeking control of just under half of the former Oregon and California Railroad Lands in Lane, Coos and Douglas Counties. It’s currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Garcia says if the tribes are successful, they’ll manage the lands under the same federal guidelines… but control will be local and it has the potential to create additional jobs.
Household Hazardous Waste
A lot of the everyday items we use in our homes can make lives simpler and easier. But, what about the leftovers?
Katya Reyna – “It’s important to collect this stuff separately so that it doesn’t get into the environment and they make sure that it’s disposed of properly.”
Katya Reyna says the City of Florence and Lane County have teamed up for another in a series of regular household hazardous waste round-ups next week…
Katya Reyna – “You literally just pull up to the transfer station, bring all your paint containers, household cleaners, lawn and garden chemicals, car care products, all that kind of stuff and they get rid of it for you right there.”
That round up is next Friday and Saturday at the Florence Transfer Site on Rhododendron Drive… next to the Humane Society.
Oregon Senate Moves to Loosen Native American Mascot Ban
The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that would loosen a new state policy that requires schools to erase Native American logos from uniforms, sports fields, trophy cases and other locations.
Under the bill passed yesterday schools would be able to keep Native American mascots if they don’t bother local tribes. The bill must also be approved by the House.
Less than a year ago, the state Board of Education imposed the ban on Native American mascots in schools. Schools like Reedsport, where they’ve been known as the Braves, will have to change by June 2017 or risk losing state funding.
Critics of the mascots say they’re racist. Supporters, including some tribal members, say they’re a source of pride. The tribal council for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians support the Department of Education ban.
