Community supporting family in time of loss

News from Naselle:

Early Tuesday morning, one of our local friends, Angela Gaines (from Okies) lost her husband. Donations are being accepted in an account set up at the Bank of the Pacific to help with Eric's service and any continuing needs of the family. Donation cans will also be available at local businesses. You can drop any donations of canned goods, or other items they might need, at the Mochas & More Coffee Shop in Naselle. Meals are also being collected to make things a little easier for the family. Carol Haven will be coordinating the meal donations and will be dropping them off at Angela's every few days so she isn't overwhelmed with a lot of food. You can drop any meals off at Mochas & More or with Carol. Thanks so much for keeping the Gaines family in your prayers.

School is out but it looks like the weather has forgotten that it’s summer. Hopefully it will remember soon so folks can get on with their summer activities with some sunshine.

The Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the 21st at 6:30 p.m.

Looking for a good cup of coffee? Naselle has a couple of really good stops for that quick cup of hot or cold coffees and other drinks as well as food and other snacks. Mochas & More is located at the intersection of SR 4 and 401 and Valley Cup is located in the parking lot next to Okie’s Select Market in Naselle. These two businesses are owned by local folks, so let’s let them know how much we appreciate them being here by purchasing their products.

Westend news:

This weekend we celebrate the dads in our life. As a tribute of appreciation the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park will hold its first annual Pre-Father’s Day Breakfast in the cafeteria on Saturday, 7-10 a.m. Come on in and enjoy a delicious meal including pancakes, ham, fresh fruit, orange juice, milk and coffee. The meal is free but donations are gladly accepted.

The free Saturday night movie will be about a lonely motivational speaker who goes on a business trip to Cincinnati, where he meets an extraordinary stranger who might be able to change his negative view of life. The show starts at 7 p.m. Released in 2015, it is rated R.

Don’t forget we have concessions available before and during the intermission of the show, including popcorn, nachos, candy, pop and coffee for reasonable prices.

Some of the current activities ongoing at the GRVC include the GRVC morning coffee club which meets Monday through Friday 7-9 a.m. in the cafeteria.

The sewing group meets on Tuesday mornings in the sewing room at 11 a.m.

Our new game room is open for use by individuals and groups with a pool table, computer set up with games, etc.

The exercise room is open 24/7 to sponsors, as is the gymnasium.

The library and computer center are open and can use a few more volunteers to expand the hours.

The board is actively seeking volunteers and individuals to host classes, do presentations, etc.

If you or your organization are interested in renting or scheduling events please call Carrie Sweeten G.R.V.C. 465-2310 or 465-2318.

The West End Food Pantry is open every week on Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m., and now that it is summer vacation for our kids, there is an increased need for kid friendly foods. Many of these kids who received breakfast and lunch at school may not have that opportunity during the summer. The pantry can always use breakfast cereal, peanut butter, jelly, bread, top ramen, canned items such as tuna, chicken, other canned meats, fruit juices, and anything else easily prepared for a meal.

Food donations can be brought to the food pantry in the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park where drop boxes are located just inside both entrances, or items can be left with Lori at the Naselle Post Office. Become a regular contributor and send monthly monetary contributions to PO Box 55, Rosburg, WA 98643. Your tax deductible receipt will be mailed to you.

If you would like to donate cash or non-perishable goods to the organization you can contact Shonda Ware or Susie Whalen.

For information on upcoming events and movies check out the new website for the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park, graysrivervalleycenter.wordpress.com or call 360 465-2310.

Make a note on next month’s calendar for the Community Potluck/Picnic on July 10 from noon to 5 p.m. This annual event takes place in the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided, but you can bring a dish to share. Check out all the new additions to the building, play a few games with friends and family and in general enjoy an afternoon of family fun. We are also looking for donations for a silent auction to be held on that day, as well. Contact Carrie Sweeten for more information.

The Rosburg Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch meets each week in the Rosburg Hall for a delicious home cooked lunch prepared and served by Pat Potter and her volunteer crew.

On Thursdays, a senior meal is also served at the above location and is sponsored by CAP. Lunch is served at noon for both venues.

Happy Birthday to Rokey Scott, Blair Brady, Greg Wirkkala, Bryon Saari and Leon Gollersrud.

Happy Anniversary to Ben and Kristen Gross, Doug and Shannon Tetz, Tim and Martha Tienhaara, Wilho and Kaisa Saari, J.J. and Deanna McCullough.

For the first time in nearly 17 years, all of my siblings and I are together for this week. It is wonderful to be able to sit and reminisce about the past, talk about old friends and get re-aquainted. As an added bonus, my sister from California brought my niece and great niece along. My brother is here from Minnesota and will be staying for about a month. Family is so special.

This weekend we celebrate Fathers Day. Take this special day to tell your dad how much you appreciate him, even though you probably should do that every day. Don’t use your phone to text the message to him or use online feeds to tell him Happy Father’s Day. It’s just not the same as hearing your voice actually say the words or hearing them face to face. Wishing all the dads out there a very special Happy Father’s Day.