‘We want to bring people together’

“We want to make our Hispanic community feel loved at a time when maybe they’re not feeling that,” said Nan Noteboom, one of the event organizers. “We want to bring people together to do something fun.”

Noteboom, who teaches English at Hood River Valley High School, said that the idea came from a comment made at a school board meeting that Hispanic families “are very scared” in the current political climate.

So why not hold a barbecue, Noteboom reasoned — meet the neighbors over a meal.

The barbecue is for everyone, the Odell location picked as a central meeting spot.

There will be music, a manned voter registration booth, and another by the new Immigration Counseling Service (ICS), a nonprofit that opened this July.

Donated food for the barbecue came from all over the valley, Noteboom said: Mercado Guadalajara, McIsaac’s, Mid Valley Market, Rosauers and Safeway. Individuals have signed up to bring other picnic items, and the Hood River Leos Club is donating funds to be used to buy chips and plates. Participants are asked to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.

“We have a great town,” said Noteboom. “We’re lovers, not fighters.”

Organizers are hoping this is just the first of regular gatherings bringing the diverse population of the valley together for a conversation and a meal.