Keep Up The Good Work!
“Everyone has that one friend that has absolutely no concept of geography. If you can’t think which of your friends it is, it’s probably you.”
One thing I discovered over the past few weeks is I had no concept of Oregon’s geography . . . . until the wildfires started burning. I have now been to Gates, Mill City, Stayton, Newport, and Lincoln City following up on wildfire needs. I admit I had to Google where some of them were before I took these road trips. I was hoping to determine where the $10,000 LCIF disaster grant money could best be used.
It was heartbreaking to drive through a burned-out area and know that many of these people would now be homeless. It was interesting to note how the fires seemed to hopscotch through town, burning some places and skipping over others.
In addition to the LCIF grant, District R received monetary donations from several MD 36 clubs. These donations allowed us to provide items that were not covered by the disaster grant. In addition, we received donations from the public of clothing and food items from all over the state. Thank you, District G and PDG Gary Mose!
In Gates, the Silverton Lions Club has partnered with the Silverton Elks Club to set up a field kitchen where 300-500 people are being fed three meals a day. They’re feeding evacuees, firefighters/first responders, and volunteers. Several of the Lions from my Florence-Siuslaw club made the three-hour drive to Gates to help out with the kitchen. It’s quite an operation! The Silverton club has several grills and put them to good use. There were also several non-Lion volunteers who felt they wanted to contribute and came from different parts of the district to help cook, clean table and commune with evacuees and other volunteers.
Napoleon Hill, an American self-help author, stated: “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” This is certainly illustrated by the Oregon Lions response to this ongoing wildfire crisis. Keep Up The Good Work!