Penny Finds a Decade’s Worth of Community at Iskam
Thanks to your incredible generosity, Grand Ronde community members like Penny can find nutritious food and community connection at the Food Share’s pantry, Iskam MәkhMәk-Haws.
On a sunny day in Grand Ronde, Penny trades corny jokes with volunteers and moves through the market-style pantry tables full of food options.
“I’ve been coming to Iskam on and off for about ten years,” pantry goer Penny says, while picking out some peaches to take home to her two daughters and her mother who lives nearby, but struggles with mobility. “It’s a really great thing to have in the community to go to once a week. I volunteer here on and off. They give away a lot of food which can be so helpful, especially when you don’t got anything halfway through the month or something.”
Iskam MәkhMәk-Haws is a food pantry and community gathering place that the Food Share created in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Named for a Chinuk Wawa saying “house where you get food,” Iskam embodies the close-knit community spirit in Grand Ronde as residents and tribal members alike come together to meet the need for food assistance.
Penny receives SNAP benefits but mentioned that the funds do not always cover the entire month’s food expenses. Penny’s daughters are still living at home while pursuing degrees at Chemeketa Community College.
“My oldest wants to study history, specifically native history,” she says, noting that both she and her daughters are active members of the Grand Ronde tribe. “They’re both really smart.”
Spend any time at the food pantry on a Friday distribution day and you will see Iskam’s dual focus on food and community building – from food distribution, community clothing swaps, diaper bank deliveries, and culturally relevant classes for growing traditional crops, ceremonial recipes, and food preservation techniques.
Every day, your generosity makes it possible Grand Ronde residents like Penny to build community and access the nutritious food they need to thrive, right here in Marion and Polk counties.
Marion Polk Food Share would like to thank:
and community members like you for supporting Iskam MәkhMәk-Haws so that we can provide nutritious food to our neighbors facing hunger.
