Council

The past few days have been filled with mileage, beautiful scenery, & lots of water! On Monday Idaho was very wet!!! There was rain, then snow, then more rain, and then snow. Now of course this was a span of about 300 miles. We left Ada county at about 7:30am to begin our travels to Northern Idaho!!

We arrived with plenty of time to explore Council. We were greeted by a kind Welcome sign which I made sure to take a picture of!!!! 

I am definitely interested in learning about the history of Council. We drove around the town and up a ridge so I could snap some photos of the entire town. One of my favorite pictures was just outside of town with construction equipment abandoned in a lot with a for sale sign--the backdrop was incredible.

The town layout was easy to get around, it is refreshing to away from an atmosphere that is always in such a hurry. There wasn't much worry about getting lost, which is fortunate because I was relying on google maps to get me there, the directions were wrong!!!


With so much time to spare we set out on foot to walk downtown. All of the snow was melting off of the roof of each building, this made for many puddles. We found an abandoned theatre that appeared to have been there for awhile, it was closed along with a building that used to be a Karate school.  Both buildings were for sale.


We were graciously taken care of by the Council Senior Center with a meeting space and lunch.  As we talked with the cook she shared about an activity the members were recently involved in.  They would gather at the center to knit hats, scarfs, and mittens that would be donated to a program that provided them to children (young and old) that needed them for the winter months.


How inspiring!


Comments from the community gave us a glimpse into their concerns and struggles.  Not only did they feel uncomfortable leaving the safe haven of their community, but this proves to be physically difficult.  How can you trust a car to make it 2 hours for grocery shopping when you feel grateful that it would just barely start the morning before?  How is a parent supposed to be healthy for their children when they go hungry to make sure those they are caring for have all they need?


Thank you Council for sharing your personal stories! Not only am I grateful to research information for Idaho to learn from, but I am learning---gaining a new perspective.

I have included some data for you to review about about Council:

Estimated population in 2009: 3,499

Number of people on food stamps in September 2009: 260

Percentage of population on food stamps in September 2009: 7%

Number of grocery stores that accept EBT: 5

Percentage of unemployed in December 2009: 17.8%

Child poverty rate in 2008: 21.1%

Closest Food Stamp office: Payette (estimated distance: 65 miles)

Even though we hit a lot of snow at first when leaving Council, we turned a corner and the scenery turned from white to green!!

Our journey continues as we travel to stay at St Gertrude Monastery in Cottonwood....

~Reyne