CSC Newport Head Start Participates in 3rd Annual Literacy Night

CSC Head Start in Newport is excited for this year’s Newport Rotary Club Literacy Night on April 30 at the Newport Public Library. This year’s event marks the third year that Head Start has participated in the well-attended community event.

Literacy Night is sponsored by the Newport Rotary Club for Newport Head Start children and families. In collaboration with the Newport Public Library and CSC Head Start, the event promotes literacy and library use.

The evening includes a tour of the library, children’s story time, library cards for families who apply, dinner, and art activities. Rotarians prepare and supply the meal for the evening, and act as tour guides. The Rotary club even purchases a children’s book for each of the Newport Head Start families.

This year, the Rotary is including Cubby Preschool children and families from Newport High School.

Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall
reads to Head Start students

Newport Head Start teachers all attend and participate in activities with their families. Head Start Teaching Assistant Cecilia Aguero volunteers year-round at the library for children’s story time, reading stories in Spanish with supervising and children’s librarian Rebecca Cohen. Cecilia and Rebecca will do children’s story time for the Literacy Night event.

Rebecca also comes to Head Start once a month and reads to children. Lincoln City children’s librarian Teena Nelson also reads monthly in the Lincoln City Head Start classrooms. Toledo Head Start is fortunate to have Toledo Public Library right across the street, and classes take walking field trips to hear story time in the library. CSC Head Start treasures its local libraries and wonderful librarians.

Rebecca and Director Ted Smith are instrumental library staff members in hosting and participating in the event.

Rotarian Dick Fowler created and printed a brochure for the event in English and Spanish. A conscious effort is made to recruit bilingual volunteers to ensure Spanish-speaking families are welcomed and full participants in the evening.

The Newport Rotary Club has made what could have been a one-off event into an annual one. CSC Head Start so appreciates the ongoing collaboration with Newport Rotary Club, and looks forward to a shared literacy night with another early childhood education program in the community.

Eliminate Hunger - Become a Gleaner!

Gleaners are people with low incomes who participate in gathering donated foods for themselves and other low-income households. For more than 30 years, CSC has provided support for the largest gleaning program in Oregon. Currently, the gleaning program supplies more than two million pounds of nutritious food to nearly eight thousand individuals.

How does gleaning work?

Farmers, grocers and other donors call Linn Benton Food Share when they have surplus crops, bread, produce, and other foods to donate. Gleaners harvest these excess crops and pick up the donated foods. They also repack them into manageable portions and distribute them among their members. 

Gleaners share fifty-fifty with their adoptee households. These are households where no one is able to glean because of health problems or other serious limitations.

Linn Benton Food Share’s gleaning program works side-by-side with farmers/growers and local grocers to keep good food from going to waste. Last year, our Gleaning Program collected and distributed more than two million pounds of unsold food and gleaned  fruits and vegetables. Most of the households that received the nutritious food  include children, disabled and elderly people.

Wood Share is a component of the Gleaning Program, and shares donated firewood with gleaners and their adoptees who rely on wood for winter warmth.

How can I become a gleaner?

Fourteen gleaning groups are located throughout Linn and Benton counties. For more information on a group near you, please call Susan James 541-758-2645 or send her an e-mail at sjames@communityservices.us.

Recruiting Now for the YouthBuild Training Program!

Are you between the ages of 18-21, need your GED or high school diploma and interested in construction, building trades, or energy conservation? Then YouthBuild is looking for you! This program is offered at no cost to participants. Eligible participants may receive financial incentives to participate.

Am I eligible?

If you are between the ages of 18-21, want to earn your GED or high school diploma, live in Linn County, and are drug-free, we encourage you to apply for the program!

How long is the program?

Six months to a year, depending upon how long it takes to complete your GED or high school diploma.

Where is it located?

The program is primarily located in Linn County. Transportation is provided from central locations in Sweet Home, Lebanon, and Albany to the worksites.

How do I get more information or apply?

For more information or to apply, go to our website at: communityservices.us/
education/youthbuild/ for more information or to download an application. You can also call Geoff Jaeger at 541-231-2896.

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. CSC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.