The animal lion pride is defined by having multiple members, bonded not just by kinship but also through working together for common goals, protecting each other, sharing food, and relaxing together: vocalizing, touching, affirming fellowship. Human Lions are not so different – although the size of our membership, social mores, and now Covid-19 much reduce our capacity to physically touch.

Our goals are not killing to eat, but taking on challenges within our human communities. We earn human pride (respect) through how we serve each other and our communities. So - what was the September challenge?

Monday September 7, with fires already burning in parts of the state, high dry east winds took down trees and power lines sparking more fires. PGE cut power on Mt Hood on the 7th to limit fires. By the next day, thousands more had lost power. That afternoon from SW Clackamas county, the sky south of the Willamette became a surrealistic high blue, with brilliant red below and competing walls of deep charcoal painted by burned Santiam towns. By Wednesday night in District O, the Fireside fire, along the Clackamas River, was burning nearly 200 square miles; the whole county (pop. 420,000) was under some level of evacuation orders; the Chehalem Mountain and Echo Mountain fires required hundreds more to evacuate. And, a smoke blanket lay over us. Compared to District R, we were very lucky.

French Prairie Lions, all Estacada Lions and some Gresham Breakfast members from Estacada and Sandy had to evacuate. Gresham Breakfast members, Wilsonville and Oregon City Lions took in fire evacuees; Mt Hood Lions with generators and/or propane took in community members without power, providing meals and showers in their own homes. They also made fuel runs for people who had generators, brought items from the Les Schwab aid station to distribute to the community at the Mt Hood Club House parking lot, persuaded Amerigas to make a special propane refueling trip to the area, patrolled neighborhoods and provided ham radio connections. Estacada Lions directly put boots to the ground to fight fires threatening homes. Oregon City Lions did the same in the Molalla/Colton area.

Every county in Districts O and R opened their fairgrounds to evacuees; authorities opened parking lots at schools such as Mountainside High in Beaverton and Clackamas Community College, and commercial centers. Red Cross and other OrVOAD members managed multiple sites.

Milwaukee Lions supplied breakfast at the Elks parking lot (about 100 vehicles). Several Lions Clubs with meal delivery trailers tried to plan food service for informal evacuation centers, but with people and needs shifting daily, coordination was difficult. Milwaukee and other clubs also assisted with donation management. McMinnville Lions provided medical supplies and 46 cases of adult diapers to United Way Mid-Willamette Valley resource center, plus 20 beds to a McMinnville care home taking evacuees from Molalla (who otherwise had only air-mattresses.) McMinnville’s ongoing medical devices program provided existing relationships (which also addressed Covid-19 needs) as well as the goods for this response.

One function local Lions Clubs could offer was to check the evacuation sites, verifying if they were open, if there were unmet needs or if donations were covering needs as was the case through much of District O. Some of that happened, but not all Lions recognized the importance of being eyes on the ground.

Thanks to the many who served and those who provided information. If you felt we should have done more – I agree. Hopefully, we’ll help more in the next months. Nonetheless this experience provides a template for more coordinated future response. Build the Pride.

Pride Through Service