UMATILLA COUNTY AND MORROW COUNTY — May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month. The Oregon Department of Human Services District 12 office normally has a dinner in May for all the foster parents in Umatilla and Morrow counties, thanking the foster parents for all the hard work they do. This year was a little different, said Marvin Hamilton of the District 12 team in a press release, and with COVID-19 being involved in every policy and procedure DHS had to figure out a way to get the word out to the foster parents that they are truly appreciated.

The foster home certifiers for District 12 came together to make candy bouquets for all the foster parents. Each bouquet came with a thank you card and was hand-delivered by truly thankful staff.

The effort to find the items and seek out donations was well met by the community and supported with by local businesses when it came to donations. Cash and Carry (of Pendleton) donated 10 boxes of candy bars and Boardman’s Harvest Town Foods also donated a couple boxes of candy bars.

Operation “Candy Bouquet” took a lot of organizing to make the candy bouquets for all 150 foster families. A total of 1,800 candy bars, granola and fruit chew snacks were used in the bouquet. Volunteers gathered at the Hermiston DHS office with masks and gloves and were socially spaced in order to make safe and clean bouquets to prevent any spread. The volunteers included the Hamilton family, Martha Roberts and Parys Payne.

The Certification Team in District 12 wanted to personally say thank you to all the foster parents, especially during this time of uncertainty.

The certification team is still looking for more foster parents and respite care providers. Call 541-564-4484 for more information about being a foster parent.