Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, marked the first in a new series of free lunches for senior and low-income Dayville residents at the local community hall.

DAYVILLE — On Wednesday, Oct. 12, a Dayville resident’s dream, planning and effort reached fruition when some 20 area residents attended the first of a new series of lunches at the Dayville Community Hall.

The lunches are the brainchild of Bonni Booth, a faculty member of Oregon State University’s Extension Service who serves as local coordinator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program education initiative, known as SNAP-Ed. The lunches will be funded by a six-month, $13,040 grant Booth was awarded by the Grant County Local Community Health Plan, an affiliate of the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization. The grant also will fund a Dayville food pantry.

At the Wednesday lunch, Dayville City Councilor Skip Inscore welcomed attendees with brief introductory remarks. Following a flag salute and invocation, the group — composed overwhelmingly of senior citizens — dined on lasagna, garlic bread, Food Hero salad and pie, all catered by the Dayville Cafe’s Greg Van Tassel. Volunteers festooned tables with autumn-themed decorations, served meals, poured beverages and cleared plates. Among them were Cynthia Inscore, Cara Knowles, Tina Knowles, Dayville City Recorder Ruthie Moore, Grant County LCHP coordinator Misty Hillman, and Dayville School students DJ Heikes and Ethan Thompson.

Ultimately, said Booth, “we’re aiming to establish a long-term low-income and seniors meal site at the Dayville Community Center,” which she hopes to sustain through donations from local residents, potential future LCHP grants and, possibly, funding from the LaGrande-based Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, a federally designated Area Agency on Aging.

“This project,” Booth continued, “is hopefully going to foster an environment where our seniors and low-income residents feel welcome to attend current and future events.”

Area residents of all ages are invited to attend the no-charge lunches, whose dates and times will be publicized in the “What’s Happening” calendar of the Blue Mountain Eagle.