Sip and Support Benefit 2026
Chili Cook Off and Dessert Auction 2022
First Place: Ben Walton
Second Place: Lisa Keith
Third Place: Brian Gosser
Fourth Place: Don (Wendy) Ware
Dessert Auctioneer Shannon did us proud again! Year after year she entices the audience into bidding on yummy mouth-watering desserts.
The Sharing Hands fourth annual Chili Cook Off and Dessert Auction was held on Saturday the 22nd at the Pioneer Christian Academy. Director Deb Gruell said, "It was a fun evening. People were in no hurry to leave and many returned, much like David Copperfield holding up his bowl and saying 'More please'."
More than 80 people enjoyed tasting participants' chilis. Homemade corn bread was offered with cheese, onions, jalapeño peppers, hot sauce, sour cream, and even tortilla chips to top off the chili.
Poster for event
Natalie Wade, owner of Bramble House, prepared her amazing Bramble House Chili recipe for everyone to enjoy. This year, a vegetarian chili was offered and prepared by Deb Gruell.
Thanks to everyone who made this a successful, fun evening!
Georgia Pacific Donation, July 2022
This month, Donna Black of Georgia Pacific presented Sharing Hands director, Debra Gruell, with a check in the amount of $3000. This money will be used to help Sharing Hands make the Central Linn area better for everyone. “Sharing Hands is proud to have Georgia-Pacific as a valued partner. They are beyond supportive to Sharing Hands,” said Gruell.
Food Bank Gets Generous Gift
Sharing Hands Food Bank was blessed recently with a special contribution from the Halsey City Council for much needed refrigeration equipment. January 2020 saw 179 families visit the Food Bank—already a huge increase from 2019. By May 2020, over 325 families were using the food bank. Instead of the usual twice a month deliveries from Linn Benton Food Share, weekly deliveries became necessary, making storage a nightmare. Additional equipment was a must for the Food Bank to keep up with the demand. Thanks to the Halsey City Council, over $10,000.00 was donated to Sharing Hands Food Bank for a huge side-by-side freezer and refrigerator.
This generous contribution gives us adequate freezer and refrigeration space for the continued weekly deliveries.
Thank you, city of Halsey!
Taco Fundraiser is a Huge Success
By Lance Wilson
On May 1, Sharing Hands ran a fundraiser called “Let’s Taco bout a great fundraiser!” The taco fundraiser was designed to help the organization gather some needed funding. The 4-hour event was held in the parking lot of the Assembly of God, on the corner of Bishop Way and Washburn Street. It was a blessing the decision was made to hold the event outside in the parking lot, due to Linn County recently moving up to extreme risk category.
Driving down Bishop way you saw Brownsville Mayor Don Ware wearing a taco costume holding a sign saying “May 1, 12:00 to 4:00pm, $5.00 tacos & toppings." There were many patrons partaking in the $5.00 for 2 tacos with refried beans. People had a choice of either soft or hard tacos, along with a selection of different meats and toppings.
Debra Gruell, Executive Director of Sharing Hands, expressed her enthusiasm for the entire event, amazing hard working volunteers, along with a supportive community. It was fun from beginning to end. Everyone involved went home with smiles on their faces even though they were totally exhausted.
The event also featured a drawing for participants to have the opportunity to receive a group of various new gardening essentials, donated by 5 different local individuals. Debra was happy with the donated items, “A beautiful blue bird bath, a Gorilla Garden Dumping Cart, flowers, garden art, and potting soil. “ What a deal!” The tickets were $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00. The winning ticket belonged to an overjoyed Sandy Sabedtra.
Sharing Hands would like to thank everyone that volunteered to make this event a huge success. Over 450 tacos were served.