Did you know the Yachats Food Pantry has grown?? The small pantry originated by the Yachats Youth & Family Activity Program’s teen group, Helping Hands, has grown into a true community effort. We’ve improved our space with the assistance of the City of Yachats, Friends of the Commons, Yachats Community Presbyterian and St. Luke’s Episcopal Churches. The addition of a refrigerator makes it possible to include perishable foods in addition to the canned and packaged foods we’ve carried all along. A small part of the food dropped off includes 183 pounds from St. Luke’s in Waldport over the past month and a half. Local residents and businesses are also helping by providing food and money to stock the pantry. The Village Bean has been collecting tips on Tuesdays to help stock the pantry. To date, customers and employees have donated over $1000!

Over the course of the year, we have served a great variety of people. If you stop by on any given day, you may see a young mother with a toddler or two in tow. Her sack may contain some milk and cereal, a jar of peanut butter and some fresh fruit. She may bring in a bag of dried beans to put on the shelf because someone else can use it more readily than she can. Perhaps, you’ll get a chance to visit with a middle aged man who needs his food to be easy to heat over a fire and pop top lids work great for him. It’s possible you’ll have to encourage him to take a can of tuna or peanut butter since he feels he should leave those for children who may need it more than he does. What you’ll definitely see is our community working together to help each other with dignity. Those who have more are sharing with those who have less. Several of our local residents have even been bringing in cat and dog food to help out our neighbors.

The Food Pantry is in the Yachats Commons and is open every weekday from 8:30 – 6:00. Donations may be taken directly to the pantry. Those who need food may access the pantry anytime during those hours.

The YYFAP Food Pantry is providing a way for people to help people and for our community to work together for the common goal of ending or alleviating hunger right here in our own back yard.

Don’t forget to attend the Community Dinner Thursday night, October 22 at 6:00 pm at the Yachats Commons. YYFAP will serve up a lasagna dinner (meat and vegetarian options); introduce our new Recreation PLUS Team Leader, Bee Bui; celebrate afterschool programs; and unveil the new Community Collage. Participants will be invited to identify the people and places represented on the collage, and there will be prizes for those who are able to identify the most! Dinner is free to all.

Want to know when to call the doctor about swine flu?  Affordable housing opportunities in Yachats?  The Yachats Mushroom and Guitar Festivals?  Parenting tips and YYFAP news?  Click here to access our October newsletter.

YYFAP volunteers will be serving a delicious lasagna lunch on Saturday, October 17, as part of the Yachats Mushroom Festival.  We will be serving homemade vegetarian lasagna (with or without wild mushrooms), homemade bread, and green salad – all for the low price of $8.00.  Lunch will be served from 11:00 until about 1:00 in the Yachats Commons kitchen.  All proceeds will support programming for children and youth.  For more information, or if you would like to volunteer, call Stacy at 547-3410.

We are happy to welcome two new staff members to YYFAP.  Bee Bui joins us as the new Recreation P.L.U.S. Team Leader.  She will be offering great activities and support to all the kids attending YYFAP’s afterschool program.  Allison Bethel will be teaching preschool and leading YYFAP’s Parent & Family Support program.  Both of these young women come with great enthusiasm, lots of ideas, and a background in child and youth development.

Lights On Afterschool is celebrated every October in communities nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America’s children, families and communities.  Lights On Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in more than 1,200 communities nationwide. The event has grown from 1,200 celebrations in 2001 to more than 7,500.  This October, 1 million Americans will celebrate Lights On Afterschool! In Yachats, Lights On Afterschool will be celebrated with a community dinner on Thursday, October 22, at 6:00 pm.  Community members of all ages are invited to share a simple meal.  This dinner will also mark the unveiling of a new community collage, created with the help of youth participants in YYFAP’s afterschool program.

The Yachats Youth & Family Activities Program is very happy to announce that YYFAP and the Lincoln County School District have formed a partnership to offer 4 days of preschool in South County!  Classes will be offered in both Waldport and in Yachats.  Waldport classes will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 – 12:00 at the Community Learning Center, and Yachats classes will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 -12:00 at the Yachats Commons.  Parents may enroll their children in one or both locations, depending on available space.  Even better news:  tuition is free, although donations are gratefully accepted. Classes in each location will be capped at 15 students, and priority will be given to 4 and 5-year-olds.

If you are interested in enrolling in preschool, or want more information, please call Debbie at 547-4599.  Open Houses will be held October 19 and 20, and classes will begin on the 21^st.