 DeAnna Townsend poses in her office with mixed breed puppy Fiona. DeAnna Townsend saw a need and decided to fill it. Her work at the Veneta Service Center assisting the unhoused brought to her attention just how food insecure they are, and this in turn, led to her requesting a Little Free Pantry that could be installed just outside of the Service Center building.
A part of the Waste to Taste program, a food rescue and free food box program that works in partnership with bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants, and farms to salvage food and redistribute it to those in the community, the Little Free Pantries work to address hunger at a ramped-up level. LFP’s are maintained by a crew of volunteers and the owner of the property where the LFP is sited accepts responsibility for its care. Veneta was fortunate enough to receive a specially painted LFP and it was accessible 24/7. It proved popular, but because of the mental illness suffered by some members of the homeless population, there would always be a mess that would have to be cleaned up. Townsend realizes that those who are doing this are unwell, but more recently four youths have taken to vandalizing the LFP and a decision was made to remove it from its prior location due to a desire to balance providing this service with protecting patrons of the Service Center, the majority of whom are seniors. Often, there would be broken glass near the front entrance and other items strewn about would also present a tripping hazard. Townsend says the youths responsible for the vandalism were caught on the security cameras that were installed two months ago in response to the messes and appear to be either in fifth grade or early middle school. The Service Center’s location between Dairy Mart and American Market means kids frequently pass by as they go to one store or the other to purchase candy and soda pop. It is unknown who the kids responsible are, but the video has them at the Service Center after dark. “They are doing this to be stinkers,” Townsend states matter-of-factly. Things finally reached a point where the Board of Directors, in agreement with the volunteers whose task it was to maintain the LFP, decided it had become too much to have to clean up the mess left behind daily. It was time for it to go. It saddened them to have to make this pronouncement, but they saw no other alternative. Then, Savannah Celeste, owner of Luava’s Place, offered to host the LFP in front of her business and it was given a second chance to feed the hungry. Townsend toted the LFP down the block on a hand truck to its new home where it will still be monitored via cameras so offenders will be caught as continued messes are all but guaranteed. Townsend stresses that the LFP is not designed to have strings attached and if it is destroyed, it will be replaced by Waste to Taste. Nevertheless, it is disheartening to see the destruction wrought by those whose minds are not functioning properly but even more so by youngsters who seemingly have no respect for the property of others. At the same time, Townsend says, some of the unhoused have pushed the limits and have had to be told if they cannot be respectful, they cannot be on the Service Center property following gatherings that have taken place after hours beneath the covered area behind the building. Drinking and smoking have occurred and when staff have been working late, they have reprimanded those who have been partaking in this behavior to stop. Meanwhile, Townsend and others continue to work to meet the needs of the unhoused via programs that provide tents and tarps as well as air mattresses, cots, tie downs, and hygiene products courtesy of money received in a grant. Showers are available once a week and laundry can be dropped off on Wednesday and picked up on Friday. There is a general sense of compassion for the unhoused and work will continue to see that they have food they can easily access and at least a rudimentary shelter to protect them from the elements. While it may get frustrating at times, Townsend and the others who strive to assist those in need know they are not there to judge those who are unwell and unhoused but to care enough to want to extend a hand, a smile, and acknowledge their humanity while doing what they can to make things just a little easier.
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 Music is more than a past-time for Jen Sennet-Franklin. It’s a passion, and she loves nothing better than to share this enthusiasm with others. For the past twenty years, she has performed with her brother-in-law at area wineries such as Hayworth and Sarver. While he plays the guitar and she plays the ukulele or the box drum, the two sing a selection of classic rock, pop, and folk music for the pleasure of those who are there as guests. It’s a lot of fun and while she admits to still having performance anxiety after all these years, Sennet-Franklin likes being able to do this.
It was while working at Fern Ridge Middle School in 2019 as an assistant in the band room under teacher Cameron Siegel that Sennet-Franklin learned how to play the ukulele. Already able to play the guitar, she learned the basics of ukulele from merely being in Siegel’s class and observing. It was fun, and she enjoyed adding this instrument to her repertoire which also includes the violin, the flute, and more recently, the piano. Then, Covid hit, and the schools were closed. To fill her time, Sennet-Franklin busied herself with visual arts such as making sun catchers and wind chimes. Eventually, an opportunity arose in early 2021 to teach Tots Rock, a child/parent music class in Eugene. Sennet-Franklin jumped at the chance. She worked to put a class together and this proved to be a positive experience as she gained skills in lesson planning and getting her young pupils to calm down. This in turn led to teaching opportunities at preschools in the Veneta area followed by teaming up with former music teacher Amy Humphrey to teach ukulele at Veneta Elementary. This came about when it was learned that the school was looking for someone to teach music after a grant had been received to fund the teaching of music in the schools in a program similar to Artist in Residence. Elmira Elementary already had a ukulele program so Sennet-Franklin also started teaching there and this, in turn, led to teaching after school and summer school programs. Life was good and Sennet-Franklin was busy in a most enjoyable way. She loved her students, and she loved imparting her knowledge of music to them. Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and found herself fighting for her life. All that she had been doing came to a screeching halt. Fortunately, treatment has thus far been successful, and she has gone into remission but now she must pick up where she left off and to that end, she has begun teaching ukulele and voice lessons in a large, refurbished shed on her Jeans Road property. It’s a welcoming space that features a small piano and an ornate antique desk as well as a blue chaise lounge where her students can sit. To accommodate little legs, the chaise’s legs were shortened so youngsters could sit more comfortably. Some of her wind chimes and sun catchers hang in the windows and the ambiance is one of feeling welcome and being able to relax. Her husband did the drywall and the air conditioning and will also eventually add a porch and a fence. Having the lessons here in this shed will allow Sennet-Franklin to rest between sessions as she is still getting her health back and she is also teaching smaller groups. Recently, she has begun an incentive program to get her students to practice by allowing them to choose a prize after reaching a goal of 200 minutes of practice time with the goal being to inspire them to want to practice. “It’s a nice niche,” Sennet-Franklin says about what she does. “My performing adds to the lessons, and I look for opportunities for the kids to perform.” Recently her students gave a ukulele performance at Applegate Regional Theatre and while she knows they get nervous, Sennet-Frankling wants them to feel comfortable on stage and be able to work through their nerves. Sennet-Franklin also teaches adult classes in her shed classroom and has also taught at the Service Center. It has been her experience that people will start out with the ukulele and then transition to the guitar. Because of its small size and few strings, students, particularly children, feel successful sooner with the ukulele. It’s been an interesting, rewarding path that Sennet-Franklin has followed with her music, one that she probably could not have imagined initially, but one she now cannot imagine not having done. Because of her, countless children have been given an introduction to the beauty of music that they may not have had otherwise, and they have gained skills in playing an instrument. This could become a lifelong love for some of these kids and one day, one of them could well go on to become the next generation to teach and impart a love that was once imparted to them. |
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