The brightly colored leaves of fall and the harvesting of pumpkins, apples, plums, potatoes and other crops lends an air of bounty and contentment to most of us. Unfortunately, there are those that for some reason or another are not the recipients of this bounty of nature. To them, the crisp fall days are a reminder that cold winter days are coming and hunger may be imminent, especially if they have to choose between paying for heat and paying for groceries.

Although Eagle appears to be quite prosperous, there are pockets of poverty here. Some Eagle residents are among those facing the dilemma of heat for the house or groceries for the table.

The answer came when a group of school counselors, school resource officers, and other interested citizens met in the fall of 2005, and formally organized the Eagle Community Charitable Food Bank. Legal services to prepare the articles of incorporation and by-laws were donated by Kimball D. Gourley, and another citizen provided the accounting expertise and filed for non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service. The small group purchased a cell phone to establish a phone number for the food bank, and members took turns taking the phone to answer any calls. They started operating out of an unheated storage unit provided by Eagle Mini Storage, where shelving was provided by a member of the Eagle Kiwanis Club.

One of the largest misconceptions by most people is that the Eagle Community Charitable Food Bank is somehow connected to the Idaho Food Bank. There is not connection. All food donated to the Eagle Community charitable Food Bank stays here in the Eagle and Star area and is given to local residents. The Eagle Food Bank does not receive any food from the Idaho Food Bank; if they did, they would have to pay for it. So donations of food to the Idaho Food Bank do not help residents of the Eagle area.

Currently the Eagle Community Charitable Food Bank is located at 149 W. State St, Suite 121 in Eagle, across from the US Bank on the east side of the Customedica Pharmacy building.. Their distribution days are the first and third Thursdays of each month, but food boxes can be obtained in emergencies by calling the Food Bank phone, 631-0702. Money donations are always needed, too, to purchase food items for the boxes that are not currently in the stock of donated items; they can be sent to Eagle Community charitable Food Bank, P. O. Box 478, Eagle, Idaho. Also additional volunteer help is needed. Anyone that could help out for several hours on two Thursdays a month is asked to call the Food Bank phone number to volunteer.

The volunteers and board members of the Eagle Community Charitable Food Bank would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the Eagle and Star neighbors who continually donate their food items and money to assure an adequate supply of food to out less-fortunate neighbors. All the time and effort put forth by the volunteers is without cost to the operation. It is truly neighbors helping neighbors.

The Library’s current strategic plan expires in 2017 and library staff are busy working on the next plan.  The strategic plan is the document that guides library activities and we want ours to as accurately reflect the community’s library needs as possible.  Throughout December, the strategic plan survey will be available at the Library’s website (eaglepubliclibrary.org).  The survey will only take a few minutes to complete and we hope that as many Eagle residents as possible will take time to complete it.  In addition to the website, the survey will be available in the library as well as at select community events and locations.  You’re also invited to participate in one of the focus groups which will be held at the library during December.  The focus groups are a great way to express your opinions about the future of the library.  For the complete list of strategic plan focus group opportunities, see the website (eaglepubliclibrary.org).
 
If you haven’t heard, the library now offers mobile hotspots for two-week checkout periods.  The hotspots allow you to connect a mobile-enabled device, such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet to the Internet.  Each hotspot allows up to 10 devices to connect at a time and have unlimited data available.  The hotspot is portable, so you can connect your device almost wherever you are, as long as it’s covered by the T-Mobile 3G or 4G network.  For a map of coverage, see http://t-mo.co/113w18U.  Hotspots may be reserved through the library’s catalog at http://tinyurl.com/jdbzllc.
 
There are a number of ways that the library is delivered directly to you.  Through digital resources such as Hoopla, you have access to e-books, e-audiobooks, streaming music and movies, and e-comics, anytime/anywhere. Start at eaglepubliclibrary.org and select the button for the type of material you want (e-books, e-audiobooks, comics, music, or movies).  
 
And, if you can’t make it into the library due to being confined to your residence either temporarily, due to illness or accident, or permanently due to age, disability, or other mobility issue, you’re likely eligible to participate in the Library’s HouseCalls program, in which library materials are delivered to homebound City of Eagle residents.  Participants in the program may reside in private homes, retirement residences, and assisted living facilities.  Caregivers to a person requiring continuous care are also eligible.  To qualify, all you need is to reside in the City of Eagle and have an Eagle Public Library account in good standing.  If you don’t have a library account, it’s easy to get one.  For more information or to enroll in the service, call the Library at 939-6814 or complete the application at eaglepubliclibrary.org.
 
There’s a lot going on at the Library this December.  Highlights include:

These are just a few of the many programs during December at your Eagle Public Library.  For a complete listing, see the Library’s calendar or the Library’s website (eaglepubliclibrary.org).

The Eagle Arts Commission is pleased to announce the Artist of the Month at the Eagle City Hall Gallery and St. Luke's Eagle Gallery. These galleries are open to the public and may be viewed during regular business hours.