4 • December 18, 2013 • Snoqualmie Valley Record
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SNOQUALMIE VALLEY
Letters
Carnation food bank needs to be saved
Valley Record SNOQUALMIE
For the last 10 years, I’ve been involved in the running of a food bank in Carnation. We feed around 200 families a week. We help anybody who comes to the door, including the homeless, no questions asked. During all that time, this food bank has been very generously sponsored by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. Even when they, as a people, had nothing, they were always there, supporting this public food bank as a community service. Now, sadly, this longtime service to east King County is ending, as we have been told that our funding from our primary sponsor, including the use of our building and truck will cease on Christmas Eve, December 24. We are searching for a replacement space and funding, but we weren’t given much warning. This is a disaster! Not only for our food bank, but more so for the entire Snoqualmie Valley. We occupy a critical spot in the help grid in east King County that many not involved in the system may not be aware of. A large portion of our clients cannot be served at the other major food banks in the area. They have been turned away because they can’t meet those food banks’ requirements for registration. Over the years, we have been the only emergency food supply open in Carnation in time of flood or heavy snow. Here in east King County, just 20 miles from the Microsoft campus, you’d be amazed to know how many people are below the poverty level, but you’d be far more amazed to know how many people live below that! Most people aren’t even aware of food banks except on Thanksgiving and Christmas when they show them on TV, but we are here all year, going full tilt! We are hope for many of the families we serve. Some are people that get their entire nutrition for the week from our Food Bank, who because of their situation can’t get help elsewhere in the area. We must be here to help them! This food bank must survive! If we can’t save our food bank and we are forced to close, this is a wrong in the food distribution system that must be righted.
Is a gift card as good OUTof the as a handpicked gift?
PAST This week in Valley history
Thursday, Dec. 15, 1988
Fred Vosk, volunteer Carnation
Publisher Editor Reporter
William Shaw
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Seth Truscott
struscott@valleyrecord.com
Carol Ladwig
cladwig@valleyrecord.com
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Change on the city council
Official’s accomplishments involved whole community As I bring my time on the Snoqualmie City Council to a close, I want to thank the citizens for your trust and the opportunity to serve you over the past 10 years. The choice to step down was not easy, but I am pleased with what we have accomplished together. When I began, we were a city of 4,000 residents. Snoqualmie was poised for explosive growth, yet we suffered from a budget reliant on one-time revenues to cover regular expenses. Our downtown infrastructure was crumbling, we were challenged with flooding and there was concern among long-time residents about what an influx of new people would mean to their lifestyle.Citizens had been promised a community center, yet it had no funding, and we had been assured neighborhood retail and schools to support our population, but there had been little progress on either front. In the past 10 years we have successfully addressed those areas and more. The council and administration have stabilized the city budget, weaned operations off of one-time revenues and improved our credit rating. We have addressed numerous infrastructure issues and made investments in revitalizing downtown, which is now ripe for private investment. We have provided flood mitigation and maintained our own police and fire departments to insure the best possible service for our citizens. SEE LETTERS, 5
“If they put it with a nice card, it counts. We’re a very individualistic society. Everyone likes to pick their own things.” Bonnie Novakov Lawlor North Bend
“Cards are quick and convenient. I would appreciate it, cool, but when you’re getting something picked out for you, there’s thought put into that.” Mike Reynolds Fall City
“It depends on the person. A lot of people think it’s not as thoughtful as getting a gift. There are times when it is thoughtful—If someone needs groceries, or is very picky about what brands they get.” Danielle Boedeker Works in Snoqualmie
“I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of stuff I don’t need. I’d rather get a gift card and get what I want.” Carol Waters Snoqualmie
• Three teens arrested in North Bend last week may be guilty of about 50 burglaries and thefts over the past two months. Det. Thad Frampton of the King County Police said most incidents involve theft of ornaments from cars and trucks in Riverbend and at MC Anderson Trucking. • King County Council last week voted as one to reject all plans to burn garbage, and set sweeping recycling goals.
Thursday, Dec. 19, 1963 • The Tolt Fire Department Emergency Truck was summoned to the scene of an accident which claimed the life of Gordon L. Bjoralt, 35, of Carnation, early Saturday near the Floyd Remlinger residence. Bjoralt was driving east when his car ran off the road and sheared off a power pole. Uninjured by the crash, Bjoralt alighted from the car and was killed instantly when he stepped on a 12,000-volt power line downed by the impact.