Fall Folk Festival will be Nov. 9 and 10
The 24th Annual Spokane Folklore Society Fall Folk Festival will feature eight stages with performances of traditional and ethnic dance, music, workshops, special entertainment, crafts for children, plus jamming on Saturday and Sunday, Nov 9 and 10.
In previous years, about 5,000 have attended the annual festival at the Spokane Community College Lair, 1810 N. Greene.
It supports regional folk musicians and local folk artists performing in about 100 groups, representing Celtic, bluegrass, blues, African, Asian, Middle Eastern traditions and more.
It features sales of crafts, a live KPBX Radio show and a traditional New England contra dance Saturday.
Several hundred volunteers assist during the festival. Donations and the sale of $5 buttons raise $20,000 to cover costs. Performers and festival organizers donate their time.
There will be performances, activities and food from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, with contra dances from 8 to 10 p.m., Saturday.
For information, call 844-6050, email dnnburt1@gmail.com or visit spokanefolkfestival.org.
St. John’s Music Series includes Kantorei
St. John’s Music Series and Spokane Kantorei Chorus and Orchestra will present “Grant Us Peace: Honoring Our Veterans,” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E. 12th Ave. Soloists include Amy Porter (soprano) and Max Mendez (baritone), conducted by Timothy Westerhaus.
They will feature Americana, including Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor,” La Rocca’s arrangement of “America the Beautiful,” “Letters from the Field” from the Civil War to the Iraq War and a premiere by composer Mitchell Davey, “This Heritage of Heart.” The concert culminates in a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace).
For information, visit Facebook.com/spokantorei or email spokanekantorei@gmail.com.
Roger Williams Symposium is Nov. 2 to 4
The 39th Annual Roger Williams Symposium from Saturday to Monday, Nov. 2 to 4, features author, syndicated columnist, NPR commentator and pastor, Robin Myers, offering three presentations on behalf of the Common Ministry and the Thomas Foley Institute at Washington State University.
Robin is also senior pastor at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) in Oklahoma City and emeritus professor of social justice at Oklahoma City University.
His presentations are:
• A lecture on “Spiritual Defiance: Building a Beloved Community of Resistance,” at 7 p.m., Sunday at Community Congregational UCC, 525 NE Campus St. in Pullman.
• Preaching at the 10:30 a.m., Sunday worship at Community Congregational UCC.
• A workshop on “American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel,” from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday at St. James Episcopal Church, 1410 NE Stadium Way in Pullman.
• A lecture on “Climate Change as a Moral Imperative,” sponsored by the Thomas Foley Institute, at noon Monday in Room 308 of Bryan Hall.
For information, call 332-2611, email office@interfaith-house.com or visit interfaith-house.com.
Second Harvest rescues tons of food from stores
Food fulfills more than just a physical need—and not having enough of it “can leave us feeling empty in places beyond our stomachs,” commented Jason Clark, president and CEO of Second Harvest of the Inland Northwest, in the recent annual report on the state of hunger in the region.
Giving people food not only feeds them today but also gives them hope for a better tomorrow, he said.
Second Harvest provides food at no cost through local food pantries, for community Mobile Market events and for its Mobile Market bus. It also provides tools for building a healthier future through its 3,000 hours of free cooking classes and nutrition education. It has also launched Feeding Kids First, a campaign to build its capacity to respond to child hunger.
Its budget today is supported 10 percent by contributions, events and grants, and 90 percent by in-kind contributions of donated food.
Second Harvest’s annual report gives an overview of hunger in the region, reporting that one in eight people struggles with hunger and one in five children face chronic food shortages at home.
The 250 partner agencies that receive food from Second Harvest share 593,500 pounds each week—70,000 means a day—serving 55,000 people a week. To make that possible, 8,000 volunteers help distribute the food.
The Mobile Market provides 982,000 pounds of food in rural and under-served areas.
More than 14 million pounds of surplus food was rescued from grocery stores.
Second Harvest, a member of Feeding America, has two Hunger Solution Centers, distribution and education centers, in the region. One is at 1234 E. Front in Spokane and one is at 5825 Burlington Loop in Pasco.
For information, call Spokane 534-6678 or Pasco 545-0787, or visit 2-harvest.org.
Fig Tree receives Rotary grant for computer
Rotary 21 of Spokane recently presented The Fig Tree with $2,500, a grant to be used for purchasing a computer for their office at Emmanuel Family Life Center and $400 beyond the request as an expression of their support for the newspaper and directory, said Marie Strohm, co-chair of the Civic Affairs Committee.
An office computer crashed and needed to be replaced for current staff, new staff and interns to work on the website and print design.
Having up-to-date computers facilitates work on the myriad of tasks from design to databases. Having the computer will improve The Fig Tree’s ability to serve communities working to solve problems and motivate others to act to change lives and to give back, said Mary Stamp, editor.
In the process of the interview for the grant, Mary heard about the Bail Project, which Rotary also funded, and other efforts Rotary 21 has funded. There’s an article in that, she added.
For information, call 535-1813.
‘Making It Happen’ is conference theme
“Making It Happen” is the theme for the Eastern Washington Legislative Conference from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25, at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church.
The event, organized by The Fig Tree, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington, the Faith Action Network, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and other partners will feature a legislative briefing, a panel on gun violence and education, and workshops.
The planning committee is recruiting speakers, workshop leaders and resource fair participants. Volunteers are needed to help with arrangements.
For information, call 535-4112 or email kaye@thefigtree.org.
Salvation Army recruits Red Kettle bell ringers
With the holiday season approaching, the Salvation Army Christmas Red Kettles will soon be in locations around the region.
The Salvation Army of Spokane is looking for people to ring bells at the red kettles, which help raise funds to support the services and programs The Salvation Army has provided through its outreach programs for nearly 130 years.
Kettles will be out from Friday, Nov. 22 to Tuesday, Dec. 24 at grocery stores and other locations.
The campaign employs people seeking a hand-up, not a hand-out. It is also a volunteer opportunity for individuals, service groups and churches wishing to help vulnerable neighbors, said Gerriann Armstrong, coordinator.
In 2018, The Salvation Army assisted more than 151,000 people with more than 43,000 nights of shelter, 3.2 million pounds of food and other basic needs. Gifts in kettles help change lives.
Employment orientations were held in October in Spokane, Chewelah, Deer Park and Cheney.
Walk-in orientations and hiring will be at the Chewelah Food Bank, 302 E. Main Ave., 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, Nov. 4; the Greenhouse, 211 N. Fir Ave., in Deer Park, 1 to 3 p.m., Monday, Nov. 4, and at Cheney Outreach, 616 3rd St., 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Nov. 13.
Fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year mean fewer days for the Red Kettles. Volunteers choose the location, date and shift that fits their schedules.
For information, call 329-2759 or email Gerriann.Armstrong@usw.salvationarmy.org.
SNAP’s CEO honored for role in housing
Julie Honekamp, SNAP CEO, was among seven to be honored in October with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s 2019 “Friends of Housing” award. Honorees are selected for their leadership and contribution to provide safe, decent and affordable housing.
Julie became SNAP‘s CEO and financial access CEO in June 2011. The agency serves more than 45,000 a year through home weatherization, energy assistance, homeownership counseling and transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing.
Under her leadership, SNAP experienced progress in housing people. Last year, SNAP:
• Saved 240 homes from foreclosure;
• Weatherized 246 homes;
• Completed 778 home repairs and accessibility modifications;
• Helped 130 first-time homebuyers purchase homes;
• Provided energy assistance to over 12,000 households;
• Transitioned 351 people from homelessness to permanent housing, and
• Performed 1,664 assessments for homeless individuals, connecting them with housing resources.
These programs have meant that 70 percent of chronically homeless individuals enrolled in SNAP’s homeless outreach in the last 12 months had a positive housing exit.
“The real honor is captured in the hearts of residents who are now thriving and housed thanks to SNAP,” said Julie, adding that “there is still plenty of work to be done.”
SNAP began in 1966 to provide low-income people access to resources, operating under different names. It became Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs in 1991 and in 2008, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners.
For information, call 319-3036 or visit snapwa.org.
Jingle Books gathering books for CdA children
The 2019 Jingle Books campaign to collect books for distribution to kindergarten through third graders in North Idaho began on Oct. 15. Their goal is to collect 30,000 books to match the number last year, said Norm Gissel, who has been helped coordinate the effort since its inception.
People donate new or used books, including chapter books, in good condition appropriate for children in kindergarten through third grade. Collection sites are at most banks in Kootenai County, as well as at the District 271 office at 1400 N. Northwood Center Ct. in Coeur d’Alene and in all schools in the district. Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer has donated collection space.
Last year, every child in these grades in Kootenai County received six books, Norm said. Children in Boundary County also participated in the program. Twenty-four teachers replenished their classroom libraries. Goodwill also supported the effort.
Last year, Coeur d’Alene District 271 took second place in the third grade reading level achievement tests, he said. While he cannot make a direct correlation, Norm believes the encouragement to read over the past several years through Jingle Books has made a positive difference in the students’ reading scores.
For information, call 208-964-4823 or email heartofcda@gmail.com.
Workshop prepares people with disabilities
Disability Action Center Northwest and Idaho State Plan for Independent Living are hosting a workshop to help people with disabilities to be prepared in the event of an emergency. It will be 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Training Center, 5271 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.
While disasters and emergencies affect everyone, their impact on people with disabilities is compounded by reliance on electrical power, elevators, accessible transportation, exclusion from shelters, and accessible communication, said Michelle Porter, an independent living advocate at the Disability Action Center in Post Falls.
“Power shut downs are hard,” she said. “Electricity is needed to run lifesaving equipment like oxygen tanks, C-Pap machines and dialysis equipment and can lead to having to decide whether to use remaining battery life for an electric wheelchair or heart monitor.”
The event informs people how to do a personal assessment, developing emergency plans, assemble a “go bag” and stay informed. Participants receive an emergency supply starter kit.
For information, call 208-457-3891 or visit dacnw.org.
