News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Some 87 families in the Sisters area had a warmer, merrier Christmas holiday thanks to the efforts of the Sisters Kiwanis Club and a generous community.
Thirty volunteers worked in shifts at Sisters Fire Hall last week, sorting and boxing donated food to provide Christmas Baskets for families in need.
Holiday meals contained turkey or ham and all the trimmings, including salads and canned seasonal specialties such as cranberries.
According to food drive coordinator Glenn Keeran, families are qualified by income and must live in the Sisters School District. The majority of those receiving baskets live in town, he said.
Keeran estimates that 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of food worth perhaps $6,000 was distributed. The food was donated by individuals and collected by organizations such as the Boy Scouts. Churches and individuals also made cash donations.
A total of 231 pets were also provided for through the Furry Friends Pet Food Drive sponsored by The Nugget.
The pet food was distributed along with the Christmas dinners. Some 119 cats and kittens; 98 dogs and puppies; two guinea pigs and one ferret were taken care of through the pet food drive. A local rancher donated 10 bales of hay to feed horses.
The Christmas Food Basket program started in 1983 with the help of the Sisters fire department.
Eighteen families were served that first year.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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