JOHN DAY – The announcement of a food drive to help Grant County residents get through a tough winter couldn’t have come at a more fitting time.

Letters urging local businesses to participate in the drive arrived in mailboxes early this week – just about the same time Prairie Wood Products announced a mill shutdown.

The food drive is sponsored by Johnson Holdings/Prairie Wood Products and will benefit the Grant County Food Bank.

In the letter, Don Bodewig, operations manager for the company, cited high energy costs and transportation costs as factors suggesting that the coming winter will be a tough time for local residents. He also cited the economic impact on the timber industry.

“As we have seen in the past, lumber mills in the area are extremely vulnerable to the declining lumber markets we are experiencing,” he said, noting that Prairie City and John Day are more dependent on mills than other communities in the state.

The company is urging businesses and individuals to take non-perishable foods for the food bank to Grant Western Lumber Company, where the goods can be stored. The Food Bank will arrange for distribution to families in need.

Deliveries will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, except holidays, through Nov. 30. For more information or to schedule large drop-offs, call 541-575-2811.

Donors also can write checks payable to Grant County Food Bank and send them to the food bank at 530 E. Main St., John Day, OR 97845.

In conjunction with the drive, Jackson Oil is pitching in with a special promotion on Friday, Oct. 10.

Owner Greg Jackson said the two retail Shell stations in John Day will contribute a dime for every gallon of gasoline or diesel sold. Proceeds will go to the food bank.