HOOD RIVER — This Thanksgiving, Local Rhoots Owner Sam Rodgers collaborated with other restaurants and community organizations to package warm meals for underprivileged families in the Columbia River Gorge. In collaboration with The Next Door, Local Rhoots prepared more than 300 meals that would eventually be delivered to different Native American communities throughout the Gorge, on both the Oregon and Washington side. Dawn Lemieux is the Youth Services Native support supervisor at The Next Door and said meals go to families from Goldendale to Cascade Locks.
Local Rhoots Owner Sam Rodgers.
Noah Noteboom file photo
“I facilitate with support from community partners that service agencies, whether it’s health, self sufficiency, other nonprofits or volunteers to meet and collaborate on health inequities here in the Columbia River Gorge,” said Lemieux.
The Dalles Salvation Army Corp. is a large contributor to donated meals throughout the Gorge. Service Center Director Kristen Harmon said due to a shortage of volunteers, the Salvation Army could not fulfill the entire amount of food that was requested.
“Unfortunately, we did not have the resources nor the manpower to provide that large a number of to-go meals and keep the food at the proper temperature needed to keep it safe to be eaten,” said Harmon. “The Thanksgiving community dinner is run by an all-volunteer staff and we do the best that we are able.”
Prior to the meal prep and delivery, Lemieux and The Next Door conducted outreach to gauge interest, number of meals needed and ability to cook or reheat the packaged food.
“As we come up on times like this during the holiday season, community members are oftentimes struggling with materials that they’re provided with unconventional home setup,” said Lemieux.
Donors from Nch’Wana Housing, Columbia Gorge Food Bank and the Gorge Grown Food Network helped cover costs for Thanksgiving meals. In December, The Next Door will receive donations from One Community Health, Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), Columbia Gorge Food Bank and the Gorge Grown Food Network.
With the help of Cisco and Pacific Foods — who donated all of the produce — Rodgers and Local Rhoots made meals that included a turkey with a sausage stuffing. They roasted root vegetables and put together a warm gravy and additional sides of cranberry sauce.
For the Christmas meals, Rodgers plans a meal centered around spiral ham, that will delivered on Dec. 22.
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