CCBUTI Donates $130,000 to Local Schools for Student Meals During Holidays
ROSEBURG – The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians on Monday delivered $130,050 to eight local school districts in Douglas County to assist with providing free meals to students in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks.
Many children and teens in Douglas County rely on school meal programs for nutritious meals during the week, and this critical funding will help ensure that they will continue to have access to healthy food over the extended vacations.
“No child should worry about where their next meal is coming from, especially over the holidays when their days should be carefree, fun and enjoying time with their families,” said Carla Keene, Chairman of the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Board of Directors. “It’s essential that we ensure children always have enough to eat so they can focus their energy on learning, exploring their creativity, being responsible in their communities, and moving closer to success.”
The following Douglas County school districts received funding:
- Glendale School District #77 – $15,750
- Glide School District #12 – $35,000
- North Douglas School District #22 – $5,000
- Oakland School District #1 – $21,000
- Roseburg Public Schools #4 – $6,700
- South Umpqua School District #19 – $5,000
- Winston Dillard School District #16 – $24,000
- Yoncalla School District #32 – $17,600
Each district will plan to use their requested funds in individual ways that meet the needs of their students, including family food baskets, meal delivery programs, and grocery certificates for staples.
“We’re so grateful, what a benefit this is to our family, our students, our community, but mostly to our students,” said Robert Freeman, Superintendent of Glide School District. “With this help and support, we’re going to be able to not only help families one time, but actually three times with family food baskets for Thanksgiving break and two boxes for the Christmas break. This takes that stress off of a student and allows them to take time away from school without having to worry about where their next meal is going to come from.”
While the government shutdown ended last week and federal SNAP benefits have since been restored, Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal leadership emphasized that this donation will continue to serve a fundamental purpose in the community by addressing ongoing food insecurity challenges that affect families throughout the area.
“This isn’t just about feeding students over the breaks,” said Chairman Keene. “It’s about making them nutritious and school-ready when they return.”
Chelsea Ross, Principal of Yoncalla High School and Education Programs Officers Jesse Jackson
Roseburg Public Schools Superintendent Jared Cordon and Education Programs Officers Jesse Jackson
“There is no learning if a student is hungry and worrying about food,” echoed Jesse Jackson, Education Programs Officer for the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe. “For many of our students, the majority of nutritious food they eat during the school year 100% comes from their school.”
“The most stable place for a lot of our kids is school. It’s warm, it’s consistent, they’re loved, they’re seen, and they’re fed,” said Jared Cordon, Superintendent of Roseburg Public Schools. “What this allows us to do is really have a plan to care for those kids over those gaps throughout the year so that they can come back to school and be ready to learn.”
In rural schools, the likelihood of food insecurity is much higher, and the availability of food resources can be much lower, according to Chelsea Ross, Principal of Yoncalla High School. “A significant percentage of our population is on food stamps or receiving some type of benefit, and for a lot of our families, it’s not very easy just to go to the store. They pay higher food cost here in town. This can make a pretty substantial impact on them.”
Jeff Clark, Superintendent of Oakland School District, emphasized the broader educational impact. “If kids have good food and good intake, their production on a daily basis, their emotional stability, is immeasurable. It allows them to find success and allows us to be able to help them along the way.”
“Kids don’t learn if they don’t have their basic needs met,” said Jody Cyr, Superintendent of North Douglas School District. “We’re a very tight-knit community, and when something is tough, the whole community responds to get behind it and fix it.”
Contact for more information: Lindsay Campman, Communications Director; (541) 529-9159
