Act Now to Help a Neighboring Community Action Agency

You can help a neighboring community action agency trying to win $250,000 in the Pepsi Challenge ---but you’ve got to act now!

Yamhill County is trying to build a food warehouse. They have raised over $2 million and have about $800,000 to go. They have entered the Pepsi Challenge in the $250,000 category. That puts them in some pretty stiff competition, but, with the help of Newburg High School students, they have climbed from #51 to #26 spot in the last 10 days. The idea with the most email or text votes wins. Only the top 2 ideas pass into the finals on October 31st. If you want to help, we have to move them up 24 spots by the end of the month.

You can “vote” once a day from every email address you have, and you can also text once a day.
If you would like to help:

Log onto yamhillcap.org
Under the column entitled “Capital Campaign” click on the button that says “Vote for This Idea.”
That takes you to the Pepsi Challenge website and the YCAP voting page. (You’ll have to create a name and password the first time).
Then click on “In the Running for $250,000”. When your vote has tallied, you’ll hear the sound of a Pepsi can opening and you’ll get a “thank you” message.

You can also text your vote by texting 102615 to 73774 (or, on a BlackBerry, text to 73774 and in the message box type 102615. You will receive a thank you text confirming your vote right away.

And Community Services Consortium thanks you for helping out our neighboring CAP agency!

Energy Conservation Workshops for People with Low Incomes

Stephanie Bugni, from the Emergency Services Department Presents Energy Conservation Workshop

Sign up for an Energy Conservation Workshop and learn about what affects your energy bill, what are the top 5 highest energy users in your home. Learn all the small things you can do to make a difference on your energy bills.

For attending the workshop to help improve your home’s energy efficiency, you will receive:


a FREE weatherization kit valued at over $65!
A workbook with hundreds of energy saving tips!
you will be eligible for a free home energy audit

To sign up for a workshop:
Contact Stephanie Bugni, Energy Education Coordinatior at (541) 758-2639 or Email sbugni@communityservices.us

Energy Education Workshop Schedule
Albany
Workshops are held at Community Services Consortium, 250 Broadalbin SW, Suite 2A,
Friday, October 15th 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 27th 10:00 - Noon

Corvallis
Workshops are held at Community Services Consortium, 545 SW 2nd St. – Suite A (upstairs), Monday, October 11th, 10:00 a.m. –Noon
Monday, October 18th, 2:00 p.m. –Noon

Lebanon
Workshops are held at Community Services Consortium, 380 Market St.,
Wednesday, October 13th 2:00—4:00
Friday, October 29th, 10:00 –Noon

Newport
workshops are held at Community Services Consortium, 120 NE Avery St., (Hiland Castle room) Tuesday, October 19th 10:00–Noon
Tuesday, October 19th 1:00–3:00

*Energy Conservation Workshops are held monthly. If you are unable to attend a workshop in your area, please contact Stephanie Bugni at (541) 758-2639 or sbugni@communityservices.us for future workshop dates.

Lincoln City Land Trust Home Open House—Come Celebrate!

The first Lincoln Community Land Trust home to be sold in Lincoln County will be open for tours on Tuesday, September 21. Make plans to stop by the house at 2219 NE 28th St. in Lincoln City and learn about the trust, see the home, and meet other land trust fans. You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

A general presentation about the land trust will be held at 5:30PM followed by a ribbon cutting and cake at 6:00PM.

Lincoln City Mayor, Lori Hollingsworth and Lincoln County Commissioner and Board Chair, Bill Hall will present. Please park at the Lincoln City Community Center and enjoy a half mile walk to the home. Parking at the home is limited and we do not want to disturb the neighbors.
Lincoln Community Land Trust (LCLT ),
For further information, contact: Benjamin Baggett, (541)758-2761, bbaggett@communityservices.us

Mark your calendars and plan to be a part as the Lincoln County Land Trust makes land trust history with its first home. Invitations and an informational brochure are available on the land trust website. Please send your RSVP to Alison Robertson, alisonn@lincolncity.org.

The Magic Barrel

Friday, October 22, at 7:00 pm, in the Corvallis High School Theater

"The Magic Barrel: A Reading to Fight Hunger" features some of Oregon’s finest authors in a benefit for Linn-Benton Food Share. Linn Benton Food Share, a program of Community Services Consortium works to relieve hunger in the mid-Willamette Valley.

The line-up features several local writers with freshly published books--fiction writer Tracy Daugherty, (One Day the Wind Changed), and poets Jennifer Richter(Threshold) and Charles Goodrich (Going to Seed). Also reading are Oregon Book Award-winner Scott Nadelson (Saving Stanley: The Brickman Stories), Virginia Browne and Linda Hamner (Letters from Cleo and Tyrone), OSU historian Bill Robbins (Oregon, This Storied Land), OSU English instructor Wayne Harrison, and local poet Beth Russell. Bob Crum will serve as emcee, and Sideways Portal will provide live jazz.

Suggested donation is for $7 at the door, but no one is turned away for lack of funds. Now in its 17th year, The Magic Barrel is sponsored by the OSU Center for the Humanities, with support from OSU Printing and Mailing, the Spring Creek Project, and other area donors.

For more information, call Sarah Williams at 541-737-9560, or visit the Magic Barrel website: http://www.magicbarrel.org/

"Building Bridges" CSC's AmeriCorps* VISTA Program

The ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTA program at Community Services Consortium welcomed nine new members to eight project sites, listed below:

· Alix Stinnett at Central Linn School District (CLSD)
· Belinda Judelman at Lincoln Commission for Children and Families
· Jackie Stapleton at Linn County Mental Health (LCMH)
· Katherine Griffin at Ten Rivers Food Web
· Katie Neiert at Community Services Consortium
· Lola Jones at Lincoln Commission for Children and Families (LCCF)
· Maria McGrew at Benton County
· Michael Spinello at Mid-Willamette Valley YMCA
· Rachel Karasick at Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC)

In remembrance of 9/11, the team spent the day at Starker Arts Garden for Education (SAGE) where they worked with Corvallis Environmental Center staff, RSVP members, and community members to harvest 341 pounds of produce that went to Stone Soup, a Corvallis soup kitchen and to prepare some of the garden area for winter.

Linn Benton Food Share Offers More T-Shirt Colors

CSC staff member Kathleen Nickerson shows two of the new t-shirt
colors available.

CSC's Linn Benton Food Share program has a new colors to offer in their new line of t-shirts for sale. The short and long sleeved 100% cotton shirts come in a range of new rainbow selection. You can choose from a large food share logo or small pocket sized logo. The t-shirts are priced at $8 for short sleeved and $12 for long sleeved.

The shirts are available at Linn Benton Food Share office located at 545 SW 2nd Street in Corvallis. All proceeds go to the Linn Benton Food Share program to help achieve its goals.

Ryan McCambridge Serves as Chair of the Oregon Food Bank Network

Ryan McCambridge, Linn Benton Food Share Coordinator, has been elected to serve as Chair of the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) Network. The network is made up of 20 regional agencies serving Oregon. CSC’s Linn Benton Food Share program is one of the network’s agencies. McCambridge comes to the position from two years of service to the network as the Vice Chair. He will serve as Chair for two years.

“During my tenure as Chair, I hope to encourage the network as a whole toward statewide solutions to food security problems while remaining focused on our respective local efforts,” said McCambridge. “We can accomplish a great deal as a network. For instance, the OFB network, working together at the state capitol, was able to increase state funding to increase capacity at food banks throughout the state. The General Food & Fund program has had a dramatic impact on providing food to Oregonians seeking emergency assistance.”
CSC’s Linn Benton Food Share distributes nearly 5 million pounds of food in Linn and Benton counties to its 75 member agencies which include emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, day care centers, and many other non-profits serving people with low and moderate incomes.

My Most Memorable Experience in the Building Bridges AmeriCorps*VISTA Program

Last week the CSC ‘Building Bridges’ program said goodbye to the ten people pictured below as they completed their year of AmeriCorps*VISTA service.

Tifani Erpelding, Project Coordinator, with the departing 2009 ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTA team: From the left, Rachel Karasick, Megan Davis, Melissa Clark, Kaija Daniel, Megan Hutchinson (sitting on floor), Miao Zhao (hidden), Tifani, Hilary McAlister, Jen Crist (front and center) April Pritchard, and Matt Walker.

By Hilary McAlister, who served at CSC's Santiam Wilderness Academy in Lebanon

My most memorable experience this year was a presentation the Santiam Wilderness Academy youth gave to the Lebanon Genealogical Society. We received a grant to do restoration work on a pioneer cemetery and the students presented their work. I showed the pictures on the projector and the students spoke about their experiences.

The community members were excited to hear about this cemetery, which due to terrain, is out of reach for most of them. They were thrilled to hear the youth caring and connecting to the past and to local history. As for the students, they blossomed under the interest and gratitude of the Genealogical Society members. They excitedly recounted the work they did in the field, the grave marker assessment activity, the hike up the hill, the importance of the work, and most importantly, how it made them feel.

They were able to share their own thoughts and feelings for people who were interested. A couple of students remarked afterwards how nice it was to share their hard work with people who cared. Although this did not earn money, in-kind donations, volunteers, or partnerships (all of our “measurable outcomes” as VISTAs), it was a positive community connection for everyone involved. For me, those spontaneous connections between people are the reason I serve.

CSC Head Start...the Good News

We were so proud to see all of our 160 children graduate from Head Start in Toledo, Newport, and Lincoln City. We had a total of six hundred people in attendance throughout the day at the sites. We had great food, ceremony and piñatas for the children to play with and receive gifts. We know that graduation in 2011 will be just as wonderful.

In spite of the serious budget crisis in our state, and the cuts that CSC Head Start received (9.5%), we are still in business. While we reduced the number of children served by six in the coming year, we have retained all our classes and will begin September 14th with optimism, joy and good will.

Head Start is more than a pre-school. We care for the well being of the children and their families, making sure that health needs, nutrition as well as education are addressed throughout the year. We have family meetings, monthly, and our teacher/advocates visit our families each month in their homes or at our school sites.

With all the services that CSC provides, many referrals for support are made to our parents for connections throughout the county. Parents have received job training, help with a first home purchase, energy assistance and more. Even with the absence of our transportation service, our families are committed to giving their children the best Head Start on their lives and will work together to bring their children to school.

Our friends at DHS Self-Sufficiency program will assist parents in their Jobs program with transportation costs. Our “Friends” group is planning the second “Dinner Down the Bay” this year in October to help raise money for Head Start; many of the restaurants in the historic Bayfront in Newport are contributing to the “progressive dinner” that will include a boat ride on the bay.

We welcome volunteers in any and all aspects of our program operations and hope many people will call us to step up for our children and the future! You can count on us to be there, welcoming children and families on September 14th to begin a wonderful year of education, fun, and support.

Suzanne Miller, Director
CSC Lincoln County Head Start

Gleaners Spend a Second Season Helping With Blueberry Project

CSC's Linn Benton Food Share Gleaners have been assisting with a blueberry research project for a second season at the Oregon State University Lewis/Brown Farm.

The gleaners pick blueberries from specifically marked sections. These berries are weighed to provide data on crop yield. At the end of the day, the gleaners get the berries to share with their adoptees and groups made up of low income individuals and families.

Dr. Oscar Vargas, from the OSU Horticulture Department is conducting the project to study crop yield by using different types of fertilizers and application processes. His main objective is to compare conventional fertilizer application and fertigation, fertilizers applied through the irrigation water.

This summer CSC’s Workforce & Education department got in the act by sending their Garden Youth Crew to work along with the gleaners for two days on the project.

“It’s been a great opportunity for gleaners and adoptees to reap the benefits of gleaning nutritious blueberries while providing a useful service to Dr. Vargas and his great team of assistants,” said Susan James, Linn Benton Food Share Gleaning and Volunteer Coordinator.
“They often picked side by side with the gleaners, explaining their project while also learning about our gleaning program. We also really enjoyed having the Garden Youth Crew join in with gusto. “

Second Chance Renter Rehabilitation Program

The next session of the Second Chance Renter Rehabilitation program will be held at CSC's
Corvallis office from 5:30-7:30 on the following dates.

Workshop Schedule:

September 20th , 22nd, 27th, 29th and

October 4th & 6th

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Workshop Topics:

* How to be a Good Tenant
* Landlord/Tenant Issues
* Goal Setting/Self Esteem
* Energy Education
* Financial Fitness
* Conflict Resolution

Participants must attend all six classes in order to receive a certificate. If you know of anyone who is interested in taking the classes, please call Cindy Pratt in the Corvallis office to request a registration form. Registration deadline is Wednesday, May 26th.

Who is the program for?
The course is designed to help the prospective renter help themselves by attending six classes taught by qualified instructors from the community.

Prospective tenants will Learn:
how to demonstrate consistency, trust, and a desire to succeed
how to be a good tenant
how to have a good relationship with the landlord
about Tenant Law and Fair Housing issues
how to set reachable goals
how to repair credit
how to better manage money

For more information, please contact
Cindy Pratt at Community Services Consortium (541) 758-2798

Current Job Openings

* Eligibility Clerk - opens August 11
* Maintenance worker ( Head Start ) - Position open until filled
* Project Instructor 1 ( Lincoln City ) - Position open until filled
* Project Instructor 1 – ( Youth House Garden ) - Position open until filled

To apply for a job at CSC you must submit a CSC application.