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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | Vol. 137, Issue 44
Supporting survivors
County leaders encourage food bank support
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Former Nestucca teacher found guilty of sexual abuse
WILL CHAPPELL
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WILL CHAPPELL
Headlight Editor
ith the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program set to stop providing support for those facing food insecurity on November 1, those receiving benefits are facing down a difficult situation. Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar discussed the local situation at the regular board of county commissioner’s meeting on October 29, encouraging locals to support area food banks and floating the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in response to the situation. In Tillamook County, around 5,000 residents receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, including seniors, those who are disable and low-income families with children. When the program is suspended, those residents will have to fall back on the network of eight food pantries across the county coordinated by the Oregon Food Bank, a list of which is available at oregonfoodbank.org. Unfortunately, Skaar said that Julia Wentzel, the Oregon Food Bank’s local coordinator, had told her that local foodbanks were already operating beyond their capacity, making support from the community critical. Skaar encouraged residents to donate money to the Oregon Food Bank or a local food bank, as they had better purchasing power and could maximize the impact of donated dollars, though said that if people had shelf-stable foods, they could also donate those. Skaar also encouraged residents to be on the lookout for pay-it forward options at local grocery stores, saying that Grocery Outlet and Chester’s were participating. Skaar also said that Clatsop County commissioners were looking at the possibility of declaring an emergency in response to the hunger crisis, which would free up county funds to help get food to people. Skaar wondered whether Tillamook County might take a similar step and Commissioner Mary Faith Bell suggested they revisit the possibility once the suspension was in effect.
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Soup Bowl attendees select hand-crafted bowls made by a group of Clatsop County potters.
Photo by Will Chappell
Soup Bowl raises funds to benefit Tides of Change WILL CHAPPELL
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Headlight Editor
ides of Change hosted its 15th annual Soup Bowl fundraising event at Pacific Restaurant on October 25, raising more than $20,000 to support their services to survivors of genderbased and domestic violence. At the event, attendees were able to select one of 150 bowls donated by a group of potters from Clatsop County and enjoy an all-you-can-eat soup buffet catered by more than a dozen local restaurants and individuals. Tides of Change Executive Director Valerie Bundy thanked eventgoers for their support and said that it was critical to helping her staff continue serving those in need. “Thank you all, it takes a community,” Bundy said. “You know, we work every day, every week, and we could not do this without all of our community partners helping do this work, without all of you showing up and supporting us.” The Soup Bowl event began in the 2006, after the potters reached out to Tides of Change leadership about starting a fundraiser like one they helped facilitate for The Harbor, Tides of Change’s sister agency in Clatsop County. After a four-year break during the coronavirus pandemic, the event returned last year, helping to raise unrestricted funds to support the varied needs of survivors who access the agency’s services.
At this year’s event, volunteers helped 120 attendees select their hand-crafted bowl before the group dined on donated soups, breads and desserts. Downie’s Café, Pacific Restaurant, La Mexicana, The Fern, Rendezvous Restaurant & Lounge, Sand Dollar Restaurant & Lounge, Corral Grill and Taphouse, Adventist Health, Buttercup Ice Creams and Chowders, Main Street Pizza, Bunker Grille, Werner’s Beef & Brew, Current Café & Lounge, Michele Bradley and Marina Godinez prepared soups ranging from elephant orange tomato crema to navy bean and ham. Alice’s Country Kitchen, Pacific Restaurant, Sarasota’s, Wanda’s Café & Bakery, Wolf Moon Bakery and Grateful Bread contributed baked goods, while the Tillamook County Creamery Association topped dessert off with vanilla ice cream. After dinner, Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell, who sits on Tides of Change’s board, addressed the crowd and thanked everyone for attending. Bell then took a moment to eulogize Nancy Contolini, a former board member who passed away in September, and pay tribute to her contributions to the organization. Bell said that in addition to serving on the board, Contolini had been a tireless booster for Tides of Change, helping to organize the Soup Bowl annually, sell tickets, staff the organization’s outreach table at community events and even volunteering as a receptionist for the group.
“She was just indispensable to our board, and we miss her so much, she just left a massive void,” Bell said. “We have great board members, of course, but there’s no one who compares to Nancy Contolini.” After leading a memorial toast to Contolini, Bell handed the microphone to Bundy who gave a brief update on the organization’s recent and upcoming activities. In the past year, Tides of Change has helped almost 600 survivors, providing more than 11,000 individual services to them, according to Bundy. Bundy highlighted a state-supported program that allowed Tides of Change to help 24 households find new, safe living arrangements in the past year, by providing rent assistance, gas vouchers, bus tickets, utility assistance and other supportive funds. Bundy said that the program had helped 49 survivors and their children and that funding was renewed for next year. Between that funding and other sources, Bundy said that since her arrival in 2017, funds available for survivor assistance had grown from $8,000 to $205,000 this year. Bundy said funding like this was even more critical as the organization’s federal funding is at risk after becoming a political football in President Donald Trump’s administration’s attempts to punish sanctuary cities and states. See SOUP, Page A3
Headlight Editor
rian Hoogendijk, 47, formerly a teacher at Nestucca High School, was found guilty of three counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, by a jury of six on September 25. On October 17, Hoogendijk was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation by Judge Mari Garric Trevino, who said that in contrast to glowing character references, facts presented at trial had shown Hoogendijk was guilty of “stereotypical and classic grooming behavior with the most vulnerable youth possible.” Hoogendijk, then a teacher at Nestucca High School working with students needing extra support, fell under suspicion when a student reported witnessing him making inappropriate contact with another student several years ago. An initial investigation by the school district sputtered out when the victim declined to cooperate with investigators and Hoogendijk requested a camera be installed in his classroom to show his innocence. Tillamook County District Attorney Aubrey Olson said that the victim had been groomed and believed that she was in a consensual relationship with Hoogendijk, possibly leading to her initial reluctance to cooperate. But after the camera was installed in Hoogendijk’s classroom, the teacher’s behavior shifted, leading the victim to reach out to authorities, prompting another investigation. That investigation culminated in Hoogendijk being charged with eight counts of sexual abuse in the third degree in January of this year, with one count alleging that Hoogendijk had touched the victim’s vaginal area, another alleging touching of the inner thigh, five counts alleging that Hoogendijk had slapped the defendant’s buttocks and one alleging that he had touched the victim with his erect penis. Olson explained that the prosecutor in the case, Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Dietrich, had charged sexual abuse in the third degree, a misdemeanor charge, rather than sexual abuse in the first degree, a felony charge, because the latter requires that prosecutors prove a victim was under 14 years of age at the time of the crime. Olson said that the victim, who was 16 years of age at the time she reported the crime, was unable to provide detailed information about See GUILTY, Page A3
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