High Plains Food Bank Garden (Amarillo - Friday)

For the second half of Friday, we worked in the High Plains Food Bank Garden. The garden is an interesting project that is currently in its second year of operation. It is located in what use to be a vacant lot behind the Food Bank.



Last year, the garden produced 1,500 pounds of fresh food for the Kids Café Programs with only 1,000 square feet of land. With their new and spacious garden, they are hoping to eventually grow 20,000 pounds of fresh food.

The garden has one full time employee named Mark and two summer interns – Allison, a sophomore environmental engineer from Atlanta and the mysterious Kevin who never actually spoke to any of us.

We split up into two groups for the afternoon. MacAdam and Alex went with Mark to make more soil (compost, cow manure and sand) while Willen and I went with Allison to dig holes and plant herbs. (Kevin did other gardeny stuff around us and Jenny was off to do more logistics.)


The mysterious Kevin and Willen.

I quizzed Allison as I dug holes and learned quite a bit. The High Plains Food Bank Garden is all organic and the main goal is to provide children with fresh vegetables and encourage them to eat the veggies at an early age. Most of the plants are donated and the garden receives quite a bit of volunteers. For example, the herbs that we were planting were all donated by a local farm. We were placing them in between different vegetable plants because the plants have a naturally beneficial relationship when placed next to each other will help each other grow. Cool, I know. As I dig, I dig through a layer of bark chips, wet newspaper, dead grass and finally soil. Apparently this is layered gardening and it helps to prevent weeds.


Once a vacant lot, now a garden!

Gardening is hard work but it was nice to be working outside and with my hands in the dirt after being inside for a while. I like the concept of community gardens producing food to feed the hungry. I wonder if we will see more of them on our journey.

High Plains Food Bank (Amarillo - Friday)

We spent the morning at the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, Texas. This being only my second food bank experience, I prayed that I would not being repackaging chicken broth again. We lucked out though, not a box of chicken broth in sight.

Instead, they had us sorting toiletries (food banks are not just all about the food you know) and repackaging beans (so much better). Our first job was kind of strange. There are these boxes that are packed with the toiletries at random. The people at the food bank want the boxes to weigh 15 pounds before they are shipped out. Our job was to grab a box and place it on a scale. If it weighed less than 15 pounds (every box did), we had to cut it open and add more stuff until it did weigh that much. We then had to re-tape it and re-stack it. Basically it was about quantity, not quality.


My work station.

This is where classes like Business Process Management (which I hated with a passion last term) come into play. Clearly, it would have been a better use of time and resources to pack the boxes correctly the first time (ie at 15 pounds). It was quite a chore to try and jam and extra 5 pounds into practically every box as it was already full. I was really concerned at one point when I stuffed five lice kits into one box (they are heavy) that the boxes were going to individual families (who needs 5 lice kits). No worries though. The boxes are going out to different agencies in bulk and then being re-distributed to families.

It did not take us very long to complete the task. MacAdam, Alex, Jenny and I weighed, opened and added product to the boxes. Willen taped them back up and re-stacked them. At one point, something was hissing and Willen and I tore through a box to find aerosol hairspray going off. We laughed hysterically until we found out that everything was sticky and we had to rearrange it. EW.


Jenny and MacAdam rearranging the goods.

I imagine people needing the basics; shampoo, conditioner (maybe), soap, razor, and deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste. That is not really how it works though. All of the toiletries are donated. Most come from stores and a defective in some way. The label is crooked or the product is no longer in style. There is nothing wrong with any of the actual soap or anything but it can still not be sold to the public. Hence, there are some really weird things.

In an hour alone I packaged shampoo, razors, hairspray, conditioner, soap, hand soap, bubble bath, mouth wash, floss, electric toothbrushes, eyeliner, wart remover, barrettes, hair ties, blush, eye shadow, bug spray, shaving gel, Q-tips, cotton balls, perfume, toothbrushes, post-its (no idea), tweezers, deodorant, lice kits, toothpaste, tampons, men’s hair color, fake eyelashes, eye drops, nose spray, lotion, hair gel, nail polish, and powder.


The boys were pretty tired and took a quick nap during our break.

Job two was repacking beans. This again seemed like bad business process management to me. The beans had previously been sorted into 5lb bags and then put two bags to a box. Our job was to open the boxes, open the bags and repackage them into one pound portions for family boxes. Basically, we were re-doing work that someone had already done previously. There was only four stations set-up so Willen and I double teamed it. A few hours later, we re-packaged 25,000 pounds of dried beans.


Willen and I may have monkeyed around but we still packed the most beans.

The High Plains Food Bank was significantly smaller than the Albuquerque Road Runner Food Bank. They did not carry fresh produce nor did they ever have us in sterile environments (because I doubt there were any). Overall the food bank appeared to operate on a much more local level than the Road Runner Food Bank in Albuquerque.

The Road Runner Food Bank (Albuquerque – Thursday)

Today was my first ever experience of volunteering at a food bank. I was expecting to sort cans, pack boxes or something. What I was not expecting was the chicken broth….


Quite a noble goal!

MacAdam, Alex, Willen and I hit the Road Runner Food Bank at 10:30am. Jenny was off doing more trip logistics and Sandy and the Doodles were walking in a park I assume.

First things first; we had to be sterilized. We washed our hands, put on lab coats, snapped on hairnets and put on gloves. We looked like mad scientists.


Willen scooping chicken broth. (Look at the mess that I made.)

We were then led into a sterile room (it looked like a lab) where we would be working. Our job was to repackage dry chicken broth. Tyson Chicken, bless their misguided soul, had donated over 1,700 lbs of dry chicken broth in 90 lb boxes. As it turns out, nobody wants nor needs 90 lbs of DRY chicken broth (a shocker, I know). We had to open the 90lb boxes, scoop .75 lbs of broth into plastic bags, heat seal the bags, staple directions and ingredients to each bag and then pack them 30 to a box.


Alex stapling directions and ingredients to the bags.

Let the chaos begin. First, the powder is extremely fine and gets everywhere (and I mean everywhere). It gunks up the scale (which is now covered in a giant plastic bag) and the heat sealer. For awhile, every time we swallowed, it tasted like chicken Top Ramon. It was going pretty well but I am a disaster in the broth packaging business. I spilled more of the fine dust then everybody else combined. After four very sticky (the chicken broth becomes sticky after being exposed to the air for a few minutes) and chickeny hours later we successfully completed repackaging two of the 90 lb boxes. (I feel like the Food Bank has a ways to go with the Tyson chicken broth.)

Afterwards, we got a tour of the facility by an extremely competent woman named Christine. New Mexico, like Oregon, is considered to be one of the hungriest states in the nation. The Road Runner Food Bank has been in its current location for two years and is the largest hunger relief organization in New Mexico. The warehouse currently holds two million pounds of food and eventually will be able to hold seven. Sixty percent of the food being processed is considered to be fresh produce.


You are looking at two million pounds of food.

The Road Runner is not the only food bank in the state but they are the largest and deal directly with Feeding America. As a food bank, they are top of the line and deal not only with Albuquerque but with the entire state of New Mexico.

The food bank runs many worthwhile programs including the Food for Kids Program, the Mobil Food Bank, the Senior Helpings Program as well as many others. The tour really opened up my eyes to how families with hunger insecurity live. Christine showed us a food box that was supposed to last a family of four for a whole month. I was shocked. These families really have to know how to best utilize the food that they receive in order to make it last. Not to mention the fact that they also have to ration it correctly.


This is suppose to feed a family of four for 30 days. That is 76 meals assuming that weekday lunches are skipped or found else where.

The most interesting story that I heard was about a boy named Frankie. The Backpack Program is meant to provide weekend meals to school aged children and their younger siblings up to third grade. After third grade, the kids are on their own. Frankie was a high schooler who was on scholarship to a private prep school. Although he went to a school where tuition was $20,000 a year, he was living in extreme poverty. Christine (she used to work as a teacher at this private school) said that it was heart wrenching to watch him try to stay awake in class. It was not the fact that he was slacking off, he just literally was exhausted from not eating. It is sad and interesting how often situations like this occur, even in affluent environments.

Rio Ranch Boys and Girls Club (Albuquerque - Wednesday)

By our third Boys and Girls Club – Rio Ranch, Albuquerque – I am convinced that there is no such thing as a typical club.

The Corvallis Club (near OSU) has an AMAZING facility (which I have never really realized until now). Two gyms, a stage, a recording studio, a computer lab, a teen only lounge, a kid ran coffee shop, an art room, class rooms, a game room, ect. The Medvale Club was well run with clipboards, schedules and an abundance of adults. The Lied Club had a laid back community feel with kids running around everywhere.

The Rio Ranch Club was different from all of these. The facility was isolated in the middle of the desert with bars on the windows. It was smaller than any others that we have seen and in poorer condition. The people in charge did not seem happy (it could have been a bad day I guess) and yelled way more than I thought was necessary.






The kids were the same as everywhere though; happy, excited, rambunctious and causing trouble. We had about 60 in total, 5 to 11 year -olds. We gave them the spill on hunger in the USA and had them color what hunger meant to them.

Here are a few of their pieces:


Abby




Alexis - 10 years old

The Inn at Paradise (Albuquerque - Tuesday and Wednesday Nights)

One of the perks about participating in noble causes and charity work is that people like you. As a result, most of the hotels and places that we stay are given to us complimentary. People like what we are doing and they want to help us out any way that they can. Usually it is the big hotel chains (Double Tree, Hampton, Sheraton, Hilton, ect) that can afford to comp our rooms but in Albuquerque, we got the opportunity to stay at the Inn at Paradise.



The Inn at Paradise is a beautiful family owned hotel on a country club golf course. The rooms are large and comfortable with a large deck that overlooks what I can only assume is the Garden of Eden. The Niemczak family has owned the inn for almost 11 years now.







Because I was not raised in an overly religious family, I sometimes forget the power of faith in a higher presence. The Niemczak family is Polish and they are stanch Christians. I know this because I ate breakfast and spoke with the mother during my stay there. As I have mentioned several times, most people are extremely enthusiastic about our cause. Mrs. Niemczak was the first person that I have met who was genuinely disappointed that we are not a religious organization (we are a business organization). It was not that she did not believe in our cause or that she was biased against non-religious groups; it is just that she thinks that we cannot be as effective.

Her reasoning was that people (especially children) are not just hungry physically but also emotionally. “They are hungry for love”, she tells me. She believes that our efforts must be combined with pray. “We must put our trust in the Lord.”

I am not sure that praying will help anybody physically (what I am aiming for- curing physical hunger). But after talking to Mrs. Niemczak, I believe that she is right. Eighty-seven percent of Americans identify as being religious. Religious beliefs play a large role in who we are as Americans and dictate a large part of our lifestyles. I think that this is essential to keep in mind as we continue to move across the country. To best help someone, we have to know who they are and where they are coming from. This means recognizing and embracing the power of religion in the face of a national issue.

With this in mind, I will couple my efforts with pray from now on - because if nothing else, it will at least keep hunger at the forefront of my thoughts.

If you would like more information about the Inn at Paradise please visit: http://www.innatparadise.com/index.html

Painted Rocks and the Moab Desert (Utah - Monday Night)

After the Lied Boys and Girls Club in Salt Lake City, we hit the road for Cortez, Colorado. (a quick layover on our way to Albuquerque). As a result, we got to drive through beautiful southern Utah including the Moab Desert.

I have never been to this part of the country and was blown away by the intensity of it. (The only reason that I was awake was because the boys made me drive for once – 349 miles – but I am glad they did!) The scale was magnificent and the colors were otherworldly. I can truly understand why people believe that there is something more.

We got to the famous Utah arches a bit late but Jenny insisted that we go and look at them anyways. The boys humored us for a while until it got pitch black and then demanded that we go and find dinner (It was only like 10:30pm – Jeez!).

These pictures do not do the drive justice but here they are:

A Day at the Zoo (Salt Lake City - Monday)

So, we were not literally at the zoo but it sure felt like that a times.

Today was our first day working at Boys and Girls Clubs. Our first stop was Midvale Club in the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Only Willen, MacAdam, Alex and I participated in this afternoon’s adventure. Jenny was doing logistics back at the Hotel and I assume that our fearless advisor was entertaining her Doodles somewhere.

We were more than a little surprised when we showed up and learned that we were in charge of doing activities with the entire clubhouse (140 elementary school aged kids). Usually we work with about 30 kids at a time but we know how to roll with the flow so we made a plan.



I took the Kindergartners, MacAdam took 1st graders and Willen took the 2nd graders. Alex floated around and took video and photos. Like flies to a light, the kids flocked to him; each wanting their picture to taken and then to see it right away. Poor Alex was more busy than the rest of us combined.


The family of a five-year-old.

After one hour with 20 four and five-year-olds, I have a new respect for Kindergarten teachers. Luckily my mad camp counseling skills came into use. There was a lot of “clap once if you can hear me” and “raise your hand if you can see me” reminders. Explaining the growing hunger problem to little kids is a tall task. I started by explaining to them who I was and where Oregon is (and what it is for that matter). We then talked about what hunger means (ie you are hungry) and that a lot of other kids in the United States feel like that too. That is about all the information that five-year-olds can process.




After that I passed out paper, markers, crayons and colored pencils and asked them to draw what hunger meant to them. Almost every kid drew food. Pizza, hamburgers, fruits and vegetables were the most common things. The kids were very rowdy but I do not feel that you can expect too much out of Kindergartners. After an hour we left to hit the Lied Boys and Girls Club in central Salt Lake City.


A poem by a second grader:
I dream, you dream, of a day when hunger is no more.
I dream, you dream, of the day when love has spread.

This club had a much different feel to it. The first thing that I noticed was that there were a lot more minority children and staff. There was also more of a sense of community to me. The kids were behind the desk, joking with the staff and helping sign us in. Adults spoke to the kids like equals and the kids seemed eager to please them.

Our lesson here was way smoother. First, the kids had the choice to come hang-out with us and therefore were way less disruptive. They seemed interested in the hunger issue and were very excited to color what hunger meant to them. Because we only had 30 children, it was easier to give each child individual attention between the four of us. After we were done with the art project the boys became jungle gyms to the kids and gave literally everyone a piggyback ride.


A pony named Willen.

I asked one of the staff members about the free lunch and dinner program. The Utah Food Bank supplies a free lunch each day to the Boys and Girls Club kids. Free dinner is also served Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The staff member was upset because every day that have a lot of extra food but they are not allowed to send it home with the children. Either the Food Bank or the State has a rule against it. She said that for many of the children at the club, this is the only meal(s) that they receive during the day. Apparently, we were in a relatively poor part of Salt Lake City and right in the middle of the territory of six different gangs. Now I was really surprised. Six gangs in the middle of a city with a strong Mormon stronghold?


Alex says he is not a kid person but the photo says otherwise....


The kids do not want MacAdam to leave!

She said that many of the parents in the community want their children at the club because it is a safe place. Many of the parents also ask the staff to make sure that their children eat at meal times. Despite the hardship that many of these kids face, they are happy and out-going.


Me and the kids! :)

The love of a child is endless. It is important that we nurture them so that this pattern of love continues.

One World Café (Salt Lake City – Monday)

Everybody eats. This is the concept for the One World Café.



Chef Giovanni is the owner of the café located in Salt Lake City. His business model is popping up around the country with surprising success (Giovanni’s is considered to be a non-profit). The notion is simple, if you are hungry, you can eat. There is no discrimination. Did I also mention that it healthy? Shocker, I know.

The pay system works in a couple different of ways. The at-cost price for preparing your meal (based on what you choose and the portion size) is suggested at the register. Anything you pay over that is considered a donation to the non-profit. If you cannot afford a meal, you can work one hour in exchange for one. (There is always something to clean as my old boss used to say at Bing’s Café!) If you do not want to work or cannot for some reason, rice and beans are always free.

The meal is surprisingly healthy too. Giovanni believes in healthy, organic and sustainable food and food sourcing. For those of you up to date on the “Green Movement” you know that organic and sustainable do not always go hand in hand. Chef Giovanni knows his stuff though. He has a flexible menu that changes daily based on what is in season, what there is an abundance of and what is cheap at the local farmers markets and stores in the area.

One World encourages customers to only take what they can eat and composts the leftovers.


My lovely meal.

Giovanni’s story is interesting. He has only owned the One World Café for 2 years but it has been open for 8 years. He originally worked as the head chef at a different restaurant in town when the old owner called him up and asked if he could work a couple days a week redesigning the menu and revamping the café. Before he knew it, he was working there three days a week, then volunteering and finally owning the café. The most interesting part for me was that Giovanni was called out of the blue. He had no previous connections to One World or the owner. He says that he fully supports the cause of no person left behind in the face of hunger and was surprise how the One World Café found him.

I happen to believe in fate however.

For more information or questions you can go to Facebook: One World – Everybody Eats, Salt Lake City or email Giovanni directly at giovannimail@gmail.com.

One World is located at 41 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Celebrate and Enjoy :)

A Review of Lakeview

Despite my initial thoughts, Lakeview is not a one barn town. In fact, it is far from it. Yeah, the closest “big” city (Klamath Falls) is 90 miles away but Lakeview has everything that you need (with the exception of a windshield glass repair shop – long story short, we need one). It is the highest town in Oregon and has the Tall Man as the city mascot.

The scenery is beautiful and reminds me a lot of north eastern Oregon cities like Union and Baker.

Edward (the super serious reporter) told us that most people move to Lakeview to get away from it all. I guess that explains why everyone seems to always be so happy despite the fact that they are several hours away from a real mall.
The newest gossip in town is the natural gas pipeline that is being put in from Oregon to Wyoming. Lakeview is expected to grow by 200 people for the next two years. This temporary influx of residents will have an interesting effect on the town. There has become a shortage of housing and new amenities are being built to accommodate the pipeline workers and their families. I wonder if the small town hospitality will be extended to these long-term visitors.

Overall my stay in Lakeview was terrific and I look forward to returning!



The Givel (Our home away from home)



The cows were like big dogs that liked to follow us!



Goose Lake



Grandma Dorothy and Ellen



Papa Jim

Dr. Daly Days Health Fair (Saturday)

The rest of our group joined us Friday night for the remainder of the trip. Our numbers are up to six students (Alex, MacAdam, Willen, Jenny and me), one advisor (Mrs. Sandra Neubaum), two Doodles (very spoiled and badly behaved poodle Labrador mixes) and two vehicles (wrapped superbly in OSU and Powered by Orange stickers). The Givel is a little crowed now but it will do for one night.

We all arrive to the fair in the morning in our matching Powered by Orange t-shirts. All together we are a very effective billboard for our cause (It is hard to miss six traffic cone looking kids in a sea of oldies). We spend the next several hours manning our booth and checking out the fair.



Willen was in-charge of making and selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookies (1$ each and all monies made go to the local food pantry).

Alex ran around and did whatever media people do.



(Willen, Jenny and Me)

Jenny ran a raffle for OSU gear.

Sandy and the doodles ran around and caused disturbances.



(MacAdam and Alex)

MacAdam socialized and explained our trip to people and I floated around doing a little bit of everything.

The general consensus was that most people are extremely excited about what we are doing. We collected lots of contact information to inform people of our journey.


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A Brief History of the Famous Dr. Daly:


Bernard Daly was known as a doctor, businessman, banker, rancher, state representative, state senator, county judge, and a regent of Oregon State Agricultural College (now known as Oregon State University). Daly was basically the hero of Lakeview during his time (1858–1920). He was responsible for the economic development of Lake County in the late 1800s both financially and politically. He is perhaps best remembered for his legacy of encouraging local students to go to college.

In his will he wrote:

It is my earnest desire to help, aid and assist worthy and ambitious young men and women of my beloved county of Lake, to acquire a good education, so that they may be better fitted and qualified to appreciate and help to preserve the laws and constitution of this free country, defend its flag, and by their conduct as good citizens reflect honor on Lake county and the state of Oregon.

The fact that his will specifically directed that Daly scholarships be granted to women as well as men was very progressive for that era.

Each year, approximately 40 graduates of Lake County high schools receive Daly scholarships. To date, well over two thousand students from Lakeview and other Lake County communities have used Bernard Daly’s generous scholarships to attend college.


*All information taken from Wikipedia – Feel free to add or subtract

Working Like a DOG! (Friday)

I have dubbed Friday – Manual Labor Day! As usual, we were spoiled again with a great home cooked breakfast by Papa Jim – waffles, bacon and fresh fruit – and I even got one of his special homemade mochas. Life is going to get a lot rougher in the food department (ironic I know) once we hit the road Saturday.

Our first stop was, wait for it…. the city public library. Apparently our next stop of Elko, Nevada is not just a lay-over like we thought but a sight visit of some kind. We research many cool programs in the area between Elko and Salt Lake City but everybody is either closed on Sundays or cannot accommodate us at this time. The three of us decided to put this off for the present (our fearless advisor is less than pleased at the moment) because we have to go set up at the fair grounds for the Dr. Daly Days Health Fair.

We arrive at the fair grounds to find out that we will be hauling tables (oh joy!). In true Lakeview fashion, a job that they said would take us four hours only takes us one. Alex brought up a good point though when he noted that it probably would have taken them four hours if we were not there because they are all old.

After set-up duty, Alex and I head to the First Presbyterian Church to help out with the Food Pantry while MacAdam books it back to the library (and the coveted internet) to solve our Elko problem. At the Food Pantry, we are greeted warmly by a group of volunteers that are all easily over 80. They all want to know my name, where I am from, whether this is my first time in Lakeview, who I know in town, why I am here and why I look like an orange safety cone (we are all wearing our Powered by Orange shirts – OSU’s new marketing campaign). I tell everybody (some more than once because they forgot) that my name is Kimberly, I am from Tigard, Oregon, yes and I love it here, I am staying with Jim and Dorothy Ogle along with their grandson MacAdam and friend Alex, I am doing a summer project on hunger awareness in the United States and of course, that I am from OSU.

Everybody is in the best of moods as they tell me all about their eight grandchildren who also go to OSU, who they know in Tigard, how old they are, the local gossip, and how the Food Pantry works. My job today is to pass out dried noodles, rice, and pasta sauce. Alex, our media specialist, gets the lovely tasks of taking pictures and video, handing out tuna and beef stew, and hauling boxes of heavy cans out to people’s cars. Everybody informs me that this is a very slow day as we only had 6 families come-in between 2:00pm and 3:30pm when usually they have at least 25. I ask them what makes for a slow week and the general response was “That well, people must just not be hungry this week.” I am a little skeptical of this answer until I learn that families must use a punch card system and that they only get 12 punches a year. So in perfect theory, everyone can get one box a month for an entire year although there is no stipulation on the cards when you use your punches.

Now I am a little concerned. “What if you need more than 12 food boxes throughout the year?” I ask Bernie, the head honcho of the First Presbyterian Food Pantry. She replies with the fact that you have to take it up with the officials over at the Klamath-Lake Food Share in Klamath Falls (90 miles away). Apparently not just anyone can go to the Food Pantry. You have to qualify based on income, number of family members, ect.




Bernie – The leading lady of the First Presbyterian Food Pantry. She has been working with the pantry for 8 years (she is currently the Treasurer) but is retiring soon because she can no longer see very well. According to Papa Jim, she is in her 90’s and has run the Food Pantry better than anyone in the past.


Overall the Food Pantry situation in Lakeview seems to be well operated. There are two Food Pantries – the First Presbyterian Church on Fridays and the Faith Center on Tuesdays. The Lake County Food Share is also located here. It is suppose to serve all of Lake County but as Bernie pointed out to me in a very concerned manner the Lake County Food Share really only serves Lakeview because it is easier for the other towns in the county to go to Klamth Falls. She fears that there is resentment in the other Lake County towns and feels that the Food Share should try harder to reach all the towns or that all of Lake County should operate under Klamath County. (Lake County has an extremely low population and spread out.)




How food relief is organized in terms of the First Presbyterian Food Pantry.


While this may seem like a good idea in theory (after all logistically it makes sense), in practice it would be difficult to put into action. First, the state of Oregon has a system that all countries follow (the first hurdle). Second, there are old prejudices. I think Bernie is right when she says that the Lakeview would not be okay with being under Klamath’s “authority”. It comes down to a pride which if I remember correctly is a deadly sin.

Mass Media Day (Thursday)

(I am a few days behind so bare with me.)

So… Internet is still a bit of a sore subject in Lakeview. On one side it is nice because I do not find myself wasting hours surfing random sites but on the other side it cuts down on productivity a bit. Alas, I find myself back at the public library this morning.

Yesterday was a big day for us on the awareness and media front.
First, we met with Tommy from the KQIK radio station. Tommy is the morning personality on the local radio station. He recorded an interview with MacAdam that will play live Monday morning at 8:28am on stations 1230am and 93.5fm. I was surprised to find that all of the slots on Thursday and Friday were already filled. I mean come on; this town only has 2,700 people. What could possibly be going on that was more exciting than out-of-towners? According to Tommy, the Dr. Daly Days Health Fair is a hot topic this week. I guess that this is a good thing since we will have a booth there Saturday.



Tommy the KQIK morning personality.

Tommy is a bit of an interesting character. I would place him in his late 70s or early 80s with a smooth radio voice. The recording studio was quaint and located on the outside of town. It was really hot inside due to the sound proof installation. Tommy was extremely interested to learn about our mission this summer. He asked MacAdam quite a few questions about what we are doing in Lakeview and our plans moving forward. Like most people in this secluded town, he was extremely supportive and appreciative of our cause. We gossiped a bit about what is new around town and learned that a natural gas pipeline is being put in that spans from here to Wyoming. After a half hour or so, we waved goodbye to our new friend and set out for our next stop at the Lakeview Examiner.



The KQIK Studio.



MacAdam giving the interview, Benny the Beaver looking chill and Alex taping the process.

I have never really been to a newspaper office before but I cannot imagine that we got the typical experience. Upon entering the door, we are greeted but two over eager puppies, Scooter and Reser, that appeared to have free run of the building. A receptionist greets us and tells us to come on back to a table and some chairs to wait. She did not even question why we were there. We had very strict instructions from Papa Jim that we are suppose to talk to Edward and Edward only. In Papa Jim’s opinion, Edward is the best reporter in Lakeview due to an article that this Edward guy wrote about his grandson Cameron. The receptionist tells us that Edward is on the phone and that it might be a few minutes. This does not really bother us because we have puppies to play with and the receptionist chats us up about Oregon State and her eight grandchildren who may or may not be attending Oregon State. (This is a very common conversation topic where ever we go.)
Eventually Edward comes to see us. Our initial reaction is shock. Like everyone else in this town we expected Edward to be in his 80s, white and some retired rancher friend of Papa Jim. This was so not the case. Edward is a young, fresh out of college graduate. He is literally the first Asian I have seen in Lakeview and has a very serious look on his face.

He leads us to a back room (a table, several mismatched chairs and piles of old papers) and pulls out his moleskin notebook that he records interviews in. Edward wastes no time with pleasantries and starts digging through our story. I felt kind of bad for him trying to balance three answers to every one question that he asked but he was really sharp and asked detailed follow-up questions. I do not think that he laughed or smiled the entire time. (Like I said, super serious.)
After awhile we take a break from the official interview and start talking about college and over course, local town gossip. He finally started to smile a little bit when MacAdam and Alex started talking about their love lives (a little too R-rated to post, sorry). I asked him how he ended up in Lakeview and how long he had been here. Apparently after college he sent out over 200 resumes and applications and this was the best job that he could find. He has been here since New Years and is from Kirkland, WA (a very affluent city near Seattle). I feel bad for him because it must be a bummer to move to a small town where everyone is 80+ years old and you stick out like a sore thumb. The boys all got really into their conversation though and I just sat there and laughed. It must have been nice for ol’ Edward to hang-out with some people his own age for awhile. Finally we all trooped outside to take a picture with our awesome van.

This is either going to be a very good article about what we are doing this summer or a very interesting article about MacAdam’s and Alex’s love lives. Either way though, I suspect that it will be epic!