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Wednesday November 5, 2025 | Volume 150, Issue 45

Dallas Food Bank needs help during food security crisis

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Chamber shares new home with Visitor Center, DDA

No tricks, just treats

By EILEEN DICICCO Dallas Food Bank Board Secretary

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

In response to the November delay in federal food assistance payments to families in need, Dallas Food Bank is seeing rising numbers of families seeking assistance. To stretch the available food supply, Dallas Food Bank is appealing to our community to help fill the gap in the food supply. “Since the SNAP delay was announced, a growing number of new and returning families are seeking food assistance. Our already limited food supply is stretched thin,” said Jason Thornton, Dallas Food Bank Board President. “We need donations of food and funds to purchase food to support neighbors in need during this crisis.” Although Oregon Governor Tina Kotek is directing $5 million to Oregon food banks to be used during the 60-day food security emergency, Dallas Food Bank won’t be receiving any cash. Instead, it will receive food from the regional food bank, Marion Polk Food Share, as it gets rolled out by Oregon Food Bank. Food donations may be dropped off Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday and Friday from 9-11 a.m. Especially needed are canned meats, tuna, chili, soups, peanut butter, canned fruit, tomato sauce, oatmeal, cereal and shelf-stable dairy. Tax-deductible monetary donations may be made online at www.dallasfoodbank.com, or dropped off or mailed to 322 Main St., Ste. 180. Dallas Food Bank is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit that has served our community since 1983.

Cherriots to provide transportation to local food banks

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

A family of skunks, composed of Courney and T.S. Riley with their younglings Mason, 2 ½, and River, 8 months, get treats at Grandma’s Attic during Dallas Downtown Association’s Halloween Around Downtown Friday night. For more photos, see page A8.

High school musical returns to Dallas with ‘Zombie Prom’ By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

After a year off, the Dallas High School’s Theater program has brought back the musical. It’s your atypical high school love story of the bad boy who loses the girl, turns into a zombie and tries to win back her heart with the help of a scandal-seeking reporter and the school’s tyrannical principal. That’s “Zombie Prom: Atomic Edition” in a nutshell, which runs at Dallas High School Nov. 6-8.

Director Terry Kitagawa, helming his second production as a contributing member of Struts and Frets Theater Company, said the cast and crew is huge, with 22 actors and another 21 crew behind the scene. “We have so many new students on this show, which is extra exciting. It’s been electric. The kids are excited. I hope everyone who comes to see the show leaves with big smiles on their faces,” Kitagawa said.

He describes Zombie Prom as like taking “Greece” and adding in touches of “Little Shop of Horrors.” “So, it has that kitchie, campy vibe. It has a little bit of that horror element, but it’s mostly fun horror, not scary horror,” he said. The cast has a mix of new actors and “seasoned” veterans who’ve been in the Dallas program all four years.

See MUSICAL, page A3

In response to the ongoing federal government shutdown and resulting delays in SNAP benefit distribution, Cherriots is implementing temporary transportation support to help community members access essential food resources. Beginning Nov. 1, riders traveling to and from food banks and food pantries may ride at no cost. This approach mirrors Cherriots existing support for riders traveling to emergency warming and cooling centers. Cherriots will continue this support PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

See CHERRIOTS PAGE A2

IN THIS ISSUE

The Dallas High School cast practices a song and dance number from their latest musical, “Zombie Prom: Atomic Edition.”

The Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce has a new home at 184 SE Oak Street. And they welcomed some friends to move in, too. The new center, literally built out of a turn of the century home, has spaces for the Chamber, Visitor’s Center and Downtown Dallas Association. A large contingency of members from each organization attended a ribbon cutting at the grand opening Oct. 28. Chamber President Sarah Owree said this has been a long time coming for a problem in search of a common sense solution. “It’s not really conducive to support businesses and visitors if we don’t have a place for visitors and businesses to come and find support, to advertise and share their business with the community and visitors who come in,” Owree said. She said many visitors to town don’t realize all there is to do in Dallas, from parks to wineries, hiking/biking trails and much more. “Without a Chamber/Visitor’s center, where else are they going to find that information? They can come here now and get it all in one centralized location,” she added. With the help of her predecessor, Sam Dufner, who got the ball rolling in the search for a new home for the Chamber, Owree said she just helped “finish it out.” The road along the way was bumpy. Owree said the Chamber’s Board of Directors were close, twice, to finding a new home, but both opportunities fell through. Then Owree hit up her friend, Rachel Phelps who owns the space behind her restaurant Taters. “So I reached out to her. She said, ‘Actually, I think that’s a great idea.’ One thing led to another and here we are,” Owree said. The Chamber Board signed the lease in December last year, but needed to make several updates and renovations to the space. One challenge was providing an ADA accessible entry, reconfiguring the residential bathroom into a public restroom (which required dispensing with the bath tub) and upgrading a back door. “The biggest reason we were not able to get in was a door in the back that needed to be replaced with a 90-minute fire rated door,” Owree said. “Those are easy to come by, but not on a budget. We are operating on a shoe string budget.” They secured a door thanks to volunteers. After shipping and installation delays, the Chamber was finally able to obtain their certificate of occupancy and officially opened three weeks ago. See CHAMBER PAGE A3

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