By James Day Housing continues to be a major concern statewide, with the Legislature passing another major housing bill in its recently completed short session. The City of Silverton decided to bone up on housing and land use issues in a March 18 joint session involving city staff, the City Council and the Planning Commission. The special meeting heard from […]
By James Day Figuring out what is next for the Silverton Community Center is turning into a confusing game of musical chairs. The city holds the lease for the building, which is owned by the Oregon Military Department. That lease expires March 31, which means that tenants Jazzercise, Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA), WIC, the Silver Falls YMCA and the […]
By James Day The lease on the Silverton Community Center likely will transfer to the Silver Falls YMCA when the Silverton City Council moves its meetings to the new Civic Center building next spring. The Oregon Military Department owns the Community Center building on South Water Street, with the city’s lease set to expire March 31, 2024. The council discussed […]
Karen Garst had one goal when she came up with the idea for Santa Cares in 2018 – to make sure everyone has a gift to give on Christmas. “[A]fter working with Sheltering Silverton and SACA I knew there were many in need,” Garst said. Inspired, Garst developed the Santa Cares event during which community members can donate gently used items – toys, children’s books, sports […]
By Brenna Wiegand Every Wednesday a small group of women at Silverton United Methodist Church meet to provide extra goodies for the kids of families served by Silverton Area Community Aid. The church’s Friends Helping Friends, also known as the Snack Sack People, have decorated, filled and delivered some 35,000 bags to SACA since its inception in 2011. “A group […]
For the 33rd year, Silverton Jazzercise invites the public to the Thanksgiving morning benefit class for Silverton Area Community Aid on Thursday, Nov. 23, at 9 a.m. at the Silverton Community Center, 421 S. Water St. Admission is $5 or three food items, with all proceeds going to Silverton Area Community Aid’s food bank. There are donors that have pledged […]
By Melissa Wagoner For as long as Barbara Fischer-Chase has been a part of the Silverton Zenith Women’s Club there have been two annual fundraisers, a Bunco competition in the spring and a family BINGO night in the fall. “We have BINGO coming up at the end of October – on Oct. 28,” Fischer-Chase said of the upcoming fundraiser, which will take […]
By James Day Cory Misley has been hired as Silverton’s city manager and will start work Oct. 16. Misley replaces Ron Chandler, who retired to Utah in May. Misley’s hiring and contract were approved Oct. 2, on a unanimous vote of the Silverton City Council. As the top administrator for the city Misley will supervise all departments and report to the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Before John Baker moved to Silverton in 2016 life was rough. “I was in pretty bad shape…” Baker said. “I had severe arthritis, both of my hips needed to be replaced, I’d spent five years in a wheelchair, and I was pushing 400 pounds…I was crippled and unemployed.” That’s when Baker and his wife, Amanda, decided to […]
By Melissa Wagoner Unbeknownst to many, when Silverton Together closed its doors on June 30, 2022, the face of the organization, Program Coordinator Jan Holowati, stayed right where she was. “We had all these programs and I said, I just can’t let this go away,” Holowati said of the duty she felt to find entities willing to take over the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton Area Community Aid – or SACA, as it’s affectionately known – has always operated with the same goal, to provide food for those in the Silverton area who need it. But that doesn’t mean it’s always looked the way it does today. “It started as a much smaller organization,” Executive Assistant Erin Wilson said. In fact, […]
By James Day The oohing and aahing echoed throughout the cavernous warehouse building. “We’re so excited,” Silverton Area Community Aid board member Laura Wanker, who along with fellow board member Kathleen McCann, was giving Our Town a tour of the old Ratchet Brewery building in North Second Street on March 1. SACA, which provides food aid and other community services […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is headed to a third mediation session with its teachers’ union as collective bargaining continues nearly a year after it began. Parties are scheduled to enter mediation again March 9 after sessions Feb. 7 and 13 did not result in finalized contract proposals. Both sides are allowed to declare an impasse […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown his Silverton restaurant in 2020, rather than feel sorry for himself, Joel Autry saw the opportunity for community service, an ethic modeled by his parents. He opened his heart and pantry up to local residents hurt financially by the economic slowdown or folks who had relied on Silverton’s weekly community dinner, also closed by the […]
By James Day Property owner Wes Holman used the public comment period of the Dec. 5 Silverton City Council meeting to raise concerns about trash and debris at a home near the Holman house on South Third Avenue. The complaint record apparently goes back to 2015, and although Holman said there have been some temporary improvements he remains ”not satisfied” […]
By James Day Kyle Palmer, who has been a fixture in Silverton community affairs for most of this century, is retiring from the political arena. Palmer, who is midway through his second full term as mayor, announced Jan. 30 via social media that he is retiring from elected office at the end of this term. Palmer also answered questions from […]
By Melissa Wagoner It’s not every day that the employees of an organization recognize their boss for her distinguished service. But as the Silverton Chamber of Commerce began accepting nominations for the Community Awards for 2020, the staff at Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA) did precisely that, nominating their director, Sarah DeSantis, for the Distinguished Service Award. “We know when […]
By Melissa Wagoner This time may very well be the calm before the storm for many community aid organizations, including both Sheltering Silverton and Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA), as more and more people lose their jobs or are laid off due to closures stemming from the COVID-19 virus outbreak. SACA “On Friday we ran a few reports and were […]
By Nancy Jennings Effective April 1, Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA) began offering weekly food pantry visits rather than monthly ones – and added evening hours Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. According to SACA Communications/Events Coordinator Paul Scoville, “We went from a system where a person or family could come in for food once a month to now […]
By Sheldon Traver Silverton resident Sarah DeSantis has personally seen what living in poverty means for many Silverton area residents. She started volunteering for Silverton Area Community Aid two years ago and was on the front lines of helping people get the food they needed. Last year she was appointed to its board of directors. On April 5, she will […]
The Silverton Area Community Aid Food Project is a new way to collect food for the local food bank. Neighborhood coordinators enlist their neighbors to become donors to the SACA Food Pantry. Participants are asked to donate one bag of food every two months. SACA will supply the bag, the neighborhood coordinators pick up the food. The program will provide […]
39th Annual SACA Food Drive Saturday, Oct. 17 Items needed: Soups, chili, tuna, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, healthy snacks, dinner mixes, cereal, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, flour, sugar, diapers, personal hygiene items and coffee. How to help: Set a sack of donations on your doorstep by 9 a.m. Sturday, Oct. 17 to be picked up by a SACA […]
By Kristine Thomas By listening, they learn. By learning, they understand. By understanding, they can share with community members what a valuable resource Silverton Area Community Aid is to the community and the people it serves. Sue Rivers is one of the many SACA volunteers who has been asked why there is a need for a food bank. The reasons […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton Area Community Aid Executive Director Teresa Warriner is excited to announce two new programs, beginning this month. 4G Community Resource Day Whether you need assistance with writing a resume, information on local nonprofits or seek to learn money-saving ways, there is one place on one day you can go in Silverton to get what you need. […]
By Kristine Thomas There is a Silverton woman who people know they can count on and trust to plan a fundraiser, organize volunteers, or just dig in and get the work done. The evidence of her lending a hand can be found by asking board or committee members of the Silver Falls Soccer Club, Silver Falls YMCA, Silverton High School […]
