Medford Charter School Receives Grants to Help Fight Hunger in the Community

Logos Public Charter School has received grants for two separate projects to help combat hunger due to food insecurity in the community as part of the Explore.Act.Tell Program. The Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning (FILL) and Albertsons Companies Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors provided the grants. The first project, Food for All, is a student-led pantry offering a wide variety of foods, including gluten-free and dairy-free options, canned goods, box mixes, and long-lasting staples. The pantry allows anyone in the community to select the items they need. The second project, the Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive, provided complete holiday meals to families in need. Students organized a school-wide competition by grade to collect non-perishable items. The initiative engaged the entire K-12 school community in a friendly, collaborative effort to support local families. Explore.Act.Tell. helps students in grades 6 to 12 recognize food insecurity issues in their neighborhoods. The students learn skills needed to be responsible citizens and advocate for community service. ...Read more

County Commissioners Clarify Concerns during Weekly Business Session

The Board of County Commissioners clarified topics of concern during their Weekly Business Session. Commissioner Chris Barnett was absent and excused due to a prior obligation, but both commissioners approved the Consent Calendar minutes. Commissioner Ron Smith, during other matters, stated the board has not negotiated with anyone regarding homeless sites. He said they have listened to discussions, and will continue to seek a solution. After doing more research, Commissioner Andreas Blech said the property presented to him previously as a potential resting site is not viable despite appropriate zoning. He reiterated they haven't made any negotiations on the N Street property. Commissioner Blech continued, saying the rental process and policy for the Anne G. Basker Auditorium hasn't been followed properly, and he took full responsibility. He said moving forward, they would "make everything as right and correct as possible." ...Read more

Governor Kotek to Spend $5 Million in Food Bank Assistance, Made Emergency Declaration

Governor Tina Kotek announced she will send $5 million in state money to Oregon food banks to soften the blow of SNAP delays. According to the Oregonian, Kotek joins the governors of at least 12 other states in diverting millions in state money to backfill the lost federal funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting Saturday. Kotek said she has directed the Oregon Department of Human Services to send $5 million in unspent money that was designated in past years for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to Oregon’s network of food banks. The governor also made a 60-day “emergency declaration,” which will allow the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to respond. That will also mean that, when the shutdown ends, the state “will be best positioned to turn SNAP benefits back on as swiftly as possible,” according to Kotek’s office. In Oregon, SNAP money helps some of the most vulnerable residents put food on the table. About 210,000 are children, and 130,000 are ages 65 and older. ...Read more