Dear Idaho,
I want to thank you for letting me travel your terrain the past two weeks. You gave us nice weather and clear roads to drive on. We logged almost 2000 miles and we got to discover how beautiful you are in the process. Thank you for valuing tradition, hard work, and community. All of these things are very important and I appreciate everyone who lives in Idaho that was willing to take the time to share with us. We couldn't have done any of this without you, your voice is important, it does matter! We as a Task Force believe that in a state as abundant and gorgeous as you there is no reason for anyone to go hungry. Thank you for helping us get just one step closer to making that belief a reality.
Sincerely,
Reyne
The Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force
ps I was able to shoot some amazing photos of Idaho. When I get the chance I will edit some of my favorites (due to lighting and color issues) and then share them here.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
End of the Week: Blackfoot, Malad, & Twin Falls
The last part of our trip went by fast! We traveled to Blackfoot on Wednesday, Malad on Thursday, stayed in Burley Friday, and then on to Twin Falls Saturday!
We are very thankful to have stayed with Shannon Jensen in Blackfoot, her children even gave up their bedrooms for us to sleep in! It was very nice of them. :) Blackfoot was fun, we took lots of pictures and we played the Wii with Shannon's children, TJ & Jordyn. I promise we were working too!
We drove around Malad (about an hour outside of Pocatello) and almost got stuck in the mud (long story ha ha). While they are a small community, they have a lot of heart. We heard lots of opinions, we were encouraged to hear that everyone we spoke to had a lot to say. When we decided that we wanted to visit Malad we asked the local SEICA (South Eastern Idaho Community Action) for help and the were so very accommodating!
We also met with community members in Blackfoot and Twin Falls. Both of which are very passionate about making important community connections. I thoroughly enjoy talking with people and just hearing their stories---this trip was very informative and definitely beneficial!
~Reyne
Blackfoot Pictures:
Malad Photos:
We are very thankful to have stayed with Shannon Jensen in Blackfoot, her children even gave up their bedrooms for us to sleep in! It was very nice of them. :) Blackfoot was fun, we took lots of pictures and we played the Wii with Shannon's children, TJ & Jordyn. I promise we were working too!
We drove around Malad (about an hour outside of Pocatello) and almost got stuck in the mud (long story ha ha). While they are a small community, they have a lot of heart. We heard lots of opinions, we were encouraged to hear that everyone we spoke to had a lot to say. When we decided that we wanted to visit Malad we asked the local SEICA (South Eastern Idaho Community Action) for help and the were so very accommodating!
We also met with community members in Blackfoot and Twin Falls. Both of which are very passionate about making important community connections. I thoroughly enjoy talking with people and just hearing their stories---this trip was very informative and definitely beneficial!
~Reyne
Blackfoot Pictures:
Malad Photos:
Monday, April 26, 2010
More Driving!
I just love taking pictures while we are driving, I find that I can some pretty cool shots. Here are some from the drive to Blackfoot. We hit a rainstorm so I had to get some raindrops on the windows!
ENJOY....
~Reyne
CHALLIS
Dear Challis: Thank you so much for being so hospitable and friendly :)
We stayed an the Pioneer Inn which was very cozy and had a welcoming atmosphere. Even their dog Mr. Lucky made us feel at home.
The Y-Inn had a large accommodating meeting room that was definitely more than we expected. The service was wonderful!
I thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Challis. We got some wonderful feedback from the community, everyone was very gracious to share their stories. It was inspiring to be in a community that felt very caring. This trip has revealed some very isolated communities. The closest food stamp office is in Salmon that is at least 50 miles away, and anywhere else is at least 2 hours away. That doesn't sound like much until you consider the quality of the mountain roads in icy or snowy conditions.
This is a very beautiful part of Idaho, I can see why many would fall in love with it.
I heard someone say that it is hard to find good produce in their community, they have to drive elsewhere. At the same time we also heard that they are working on building up a farmers market that they just started last year. Apparently there were at least 55 vendors, most being produce vendors!
I sure wish we could do some more traveling so we can go there during the summer as well!
We stayed an the Pioneer Inn which was very cozy and had a welcoming atmosphere. Even their dog Mr. Lucky made us feel at home.
The Y-Inn had a large accommodating meeting room that was definitely more than we expected. The service was wonderful!
I thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Challis. We got some wonderful feedback from the community, everyone was very gracious to share their stories. It was inspiring to be in a community that felt very caring. This trip has revealed some very isolated communities. The closest food stamp office is in Salmon that is at least 50 miles away, and anywhere else is at least 2 hours away. That doesn't sound like much until you consider the quality of the mountain roads in icy or snowy conditions.
This is a very beautiful part of Idaho, I can see why many would fall in love with it.
I heard someone say that it is hard to find good produce in their community, they have to drive elsewhere. At the same time we also heard that they are working on building up a farmers market that they just started last year. Apparently there were at least 55 vendors, most being produce vendors!
I sure wish we could do some more traveling so we can go there during the summer as well!
~Reyne
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Driving to Challis...
We were greeted by yet another sunny & beautiful day on the drive to Challis from Ketchum on Tuesday. Check out the gorgeous drive!
This is the bathhouse at some hot springs......
When we made it to Challis this is where we stayed, very nice place I highly recommend it!
More Challis pictures to come. We just got back to Boise today so I will have more time to add some more posts about our trip.
Have a great weekend!
~Reyne
This is the bathhouse at some hot springs......
When we made it to Challis this is where we stayed, very nice place I highly recommend it!
More Challis pictures to come. We just got back to Boise today so I will have more time to add some more posts about our trip.
Have a great weekend!
~Reyne
Friday, April 23, 2010
Fairfield
We embarked on our Eastern Idaho travels on Monday, April 19 in the afternoon. First stop: FAIRFIELD. I apologize about being so behind on my posting, internet access has been limited on this trip. My first priority this week was to get caught up from the Northern Idaho trip, apparently people have been asking about it. :) It is great to have so many interested readers. Thank you!
So we drove to Fairfield for our evening focus group meeting at the Sandwiched Inn deli. Halfway through the drive I got to wave a quick hello to my hometown of Mountain Home. Monday was beautiful! I had to quickly discard of my sweater, what a nice warm & sunny day!
Thank you to the Sandwiched Inn deli for providing a meeting space along with a delicious meal! Fairfield is small, but holds a quaint charm. In our meeting we were quickly informed of how isolated their town was. There is only one grocery store in town and they are unable to accept food stamps. The residents have to drive to Twin Falls or Jerome, which is at least 57 miles away to access any other grocery stores. This can take well over 2 hours in the winter time, due to snow ins that lead to road closures if they are even able to put gas into their vehicle.
Here is a glimpse at Fairfield:
We drove to Ketchum that night and were able to stay with someone who had just bought a house. Thank you Craig for allowing us to stay with you, especially since you were in the middle of the move in process...we felt very welcome there!
Next stop: CHALLIS!
~Reyne
So we drove to Fairfield for our evening focus group meeting at the Sandwiched Inn deli. Halfway through the drive I got to wave a quick hello to my hometown of Mountain Home. Monday was beautiful! I had to quickly discard of my sweater, what a nice warm & sunny day!
Thank you to the Sandwiched Inn deli for providing a meeting space along with a delicious meal! Fairfield is small, but holds a quaint charm. In our meeting we were quickly informed of how isolated their town was. There is only one grocery store in town and they are unable to accept food stamps. The residents have to drive to Twin Falls or Jerome, which is at least 57 miles away to access any other grocery stores. This can take well over 2 hours in the winter time, due to snow ins that lead to road closures if they are even able to put gas into their vehicle.
Here is a glimpse at Fairfield:
We drove to Ketchum that night and were able to stay with someone who had just bought a house. Thank you Craig for allowing us to stay with you, especially since you were in the middle of the move in process...we felt very welcome there!
Next stop: CHALLIS!
~Reyne
Caldwell
We met at Acapulco Restaurant in Caldwell to speak with members of the many communities in the Treasure Valley. This was a very beneficial discussion, it is great to hear from everyone all over Idaho who recognize the importance of networking. Thanks for everyone's input as well as the great service & food we received at Acapulco.
I am currently in the process of going through and uploading pictures from all of our Task Force travels, pictures will be coming soon.
Stay tuned to our FACEBOOK, I will announce it there!
~Reyne
I am currently in the process of going through and uploading pictures from all of our Task Force travels, pictures will be coming soon.
Stay tuned to our FACEBOOK, I will announce it there!
~Reyne
Monday, April 19, 2010
Coeur d'Alene & Moscow
I am so sorry for the delay in posting. Unfortunately I was having some technical difficulty with logging into my account. I am unsure what caused this but I do apologize that I am so behind.
I hope you enjoy hearing about our last 2 stops on our trip to Northern Idaho....
We went to Coeur d'Alene from Grangeville, what a beautiful drive! I absolutely fell in love with this area!
Once we arrived we got settled into our lodging that just happened to be located right off of the lake. This house had a beautiful view of the lake, we stayed in the basement that is rented out as a Bed & Breakfast by a retired woman. She rents it out in the summer and has had guests from all over! She was very hospitable, so was her dog, Zach. :) If I ever go back to visit, I know where I will be staying.
This area was definitely larger than the other communities we had visited thus far. We drove through Hayden & Rathdrum as well. One of the meetings we organized was in Rathdrum at Granny's Pantry. I already had enough sugar that day but I was in definite need of a slice of pie (a la mode of course!).
It was great to talk to members of the community about local foods and to just hear their stories. I found myself enjoying every conversation and viewed it as a wonderful learning opportunity. I am learning so much about what matters to me as well as what is important to others.
We were graciously offered a meeting space at the Lake City Senior Center and provided a delicious lunch. In this community we focused mostly on the Senior population, we got a great deal of help from the Area Agency on Aging to set up participants. Thank you so much for your help and participation!
While Coeur d'Alene is very beautiful and we wanted to explore it more, it was very chilly while we were there. The wind was terrible! But I was able to get some gorgeous sunset photographs (right off of the deck we were staying at!) that I will share...
WELCOME!!!
After Moscow we made the journey home to Boise. It was a fairly quick drive in the beginning until we passed McCall and we knew we were close to home. The trip was wonderful but we were both missing people from home so it felt good to arrive HOME safely!
I hope you enjoy hearing about our last 2 stops on our trip to Northern Idaho....
We went to Coeur d'Alene from Grangeville, what a beautiful drive! I absolutely fell in love with this area!
Once we arrived we got settled into our lodging that just happened to be located right off of the lake. This house had a beautiful view of the lake, we stayed in the basement that is rented out as a Bed & Breakfast by a retired woman. She rents it out in the summer and has had guests from all over! She was very hospitable, so was her dog, Zach. :) If I ever go back to visit, I know where I will be staying.
This area was definitely larger than the other communities we had visited thus far. We drove through Hayden & Rathdrum as well. One of the meetings we organized was in Rathdrum at Granny's Pantry. I already had enough sugar that day but I was in definite need of a slice of pie (a la mode of course!).
It was great to talk to members of the community about local foods and to just hear their stories. I found myself enjoying every conversation and viewed it as a wonderful learning opportunity. I am learning so much about what matters to me as well as what is important to others.
We were graciously offered a meeting space at the Lake City Senior Center and provided a delicious lunch. In this community we focused mostly on the Senior population, we got a great deal of help from the Area Agency on Aging to set up participants. Thank you so much for your help and participation!
While Coeur d'Alene is very beautiful and we wanted to explore it more, it was very chilly while we were there. The wind was terrible! But I was able to get some gorgeous sunset photographs (right off of the deck we were staying at!) that I will share...
WELCOME!!!
On our way home we had one last stop, Moscow. This was a great last meeting, a delicious lunch from the Moscow Co-Op was included. :) I can't get over how welcoming and beautiful this state can be!
Our last meeting was a great wrap up of everything we are hearing. I love getting to know this state and exploring how different each community is. I have only been to Moscow once before but it is growing on me. I love hearing stories that inspire us, I felt this way here.
I have some pictures of the drive to Moscow from Coeur d'Alene as well as in the town itself. ENJOY!
After Moscow we made the journey home to Boise. It was a fairly quick drive in the beginning until we passed McCall and we knew we were close to home. The trip was wonderful but we were both missing people from home so it felt good to arrive HOME safely!
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