Municipal Election Cycles
Several candidates have begun the filing process for Florence’s November municipal election. For the mayoral seat, Shannon Warren and Sally Wantz have submitted preliminary petitions, with Wantz currently awaiting Lane County signature verification. Seeking a 2-year council term are Renee LoPilato, Mike Webb, and Elijah Yager, all of whom are collecting signatures. Justin Ludwig has also filed a preliminary petition and is collecting signatures for a 4-year council position. Candidates must complete the signature verification process before officially qualifying for the ballot.
Food Backpack For Kids Receives Grants
Food Backpack For Kids has received a $10,000 grant from the Three Rivers Foundation and a $3,000 donation from the Helping Hands Coalition of Florence to help address weekend food insecurity in the Florence and Mapleton school districts. Program leaders say the funding will help provide more than 31,680 weekend meals to at-risk students during the upcoming school year. Since 2012, Food Backpack For Kids has supplied shelf-stable food bags containing meals, snacks, and drinks for students facing weekend hunger. Volunteers prepare and deliver the bags weekly to schools in both districts. The organization says its mission remains the same: together, no child will go hungry.
Recycling Event Encourages Hard to Recycle Items
Circular Action Alliance is bringing its RecycleOn Oregon program to Florence next month with a special collection event for hard-to-recycle materials. The annual Black and White Event will be held Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Siuslaw Middle School parking lot. Residents are encouraged to start setting aside items that typically can’t go in curbside recycling, including plastic bags and stretchy plastic, plastic lids, rigid plastic package handles, plastic buckets and pails, aluminum foil and trays, and shredded paper. RecycleOn Oregon is an initiative of Circular Action Alliance, the nonprofit organization approved by Oregon to help implement parts of the state’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. Producer fees collected through the program are reinvested into Oregon’s recycling system to expand access, improve services, and support consistent recycling education statewide.