Special Edition: National Dog Day August 26th! 🐶

Each month, GNS distributes emergency and supplemental food to 17 sites across Siskiyou County, serving thousands of residents through services such as TEFAP (USDA Commodities), CSFP (Senior Food Boxes), and the Siskiyou County CDBG Protein and Produce program.

GNS Community Services team members meet with site volunteers who then distribute food to friends and neighbors, or the GNS team directly manages the distribution.

In the coming months, we will be sharing stories about all of Siskiyou County's amazing communities and the selfless volunteers who help ensure community members can access services efficiently and with dignity.

GNS Delivery Driver Jason Matthews prepares a distribution in Etna, where volunteers work side by side with GNS staff to facilitate signups and pickups.

More About Countywide Food Distribution Services

• USDA Commodities and CSFP distributions are available to income-qualifying households in 17 communities every other month
• Protein and Produce services are available in 11 communities during the alternating months
• Residents of communities without Protein and Produce services may visit the nearest site
• Residents of Cecilville, Forks of Salmon, Seiad Valley, and Somes Bar may call 530-938-4115 ext. 131 to arrange for special pickups and deliveries.
• Residents may also pick up for others who income-qualify using an alternate pickup form. Volunteers often use these forms to pick up food for seniors who are unable to visit the distribution site and others who may be working or caring for others during the distribution time or may not have transportation.

For more information, please visit:

USDA Commodities (TEFAP) and CSFP (Senior Boxes)

Siskiyou County CDBG SProtein and Produce Program

Recognizing GNS Community Partnerships in
Gazelle and Scott Valley
Gazelle, Fort Jones, Greenview, and Etna


Visit the map for GNS USDA Commodities routes and community information

Interactive Google Map of GNS' Gazelle and Scott Valley food distribution reach

Etna Brings Volunteerism to the Table

Etna's community makes food distribution a breeze! From left to right: GNS delivery driver Jason Matthews stands beside volunteer Sandy Everton, who calls everyone the night before to remind them to pick up their food items and ensures that neighbors who are unable to leave home receive services. Longtime resident Judy Crook checks in clients at the distribution site, while GNS shipping & receiving coordinator Luke McClean assists Jason with packing and distributing food.

Fun Facts About Etna

*Population:

• City Limits (0.8 sq. mi.): 678
• Entire Zip Code of 96027 (419.2 sq. mi.): 1,908



Famous for:

• Gold Rush and mining history; originally known as Rough and Ready, and later Etna Mills
• Historic downtown shops and The Avery Memorial Theatre
• The Etna Museum, housed in a historic brewery building and preserving local Scott Valley history (temporarily closed).
• Outdoor recreation and access to the Marble Mountains Wilderness, Russian Wilderness, and Klamath National Forest
• A well-known resupply and town stop for Pacific Crest Trail hikers via Pacific Crest Trail - Etna Summit trailhead
• Agriculture and ranching
• Small-town dining, craft beverages, and live music, including the long-running Etna Brewing Company, whose local brewing history dates to 1872. 

*Population data: 2020 US Census

Fort Jones Has a History of Service

Fort Jones is Ready to Serve!

GNS partners with Scott Valley Family Resource Center, a member of the Siskiyou Community Resource Collaborative. The SVFRC assists residents in accessing a variety of GNS services including food distributions. GNS team members leave food with the Resource Center staff, who directly handle the distributions.

Christine Griffin, program manager, shares that she hopes greater awareness of food distribution services will increase awareness of the many services offered by the SVFRC, including assistance with applying for CalFresh (SNAP), Medi-Cal, and Energy Assistance programs. The SVFRC also offers parenting classes, playgroups, mental health education and referrals, senior services referrals, outside agency access, and technology access such as computer use, copying, faxing, and more. For more information, please feel free to visit: https://www.siskiyoucrc.org/scott-valley

Fun Facts About Fort Jones

Population:

City Limits (0.6 sq. mi.): 695

Entire ZIP Code of 96032: 2,408

Famous for:

• Historic Fort Jones, established as a U.S. Army post during the Gold Rush era
• Fort Jones Museum, featuring Scott Valley history and one of Northern California's notable collections of Shasta baskets
• Gold Rush, pioneer, military and Native American history
• Scott Valley ranching and agriculture
• Gateway to the Scott River, Marble Mountains and Klamath National Forest
• Historic Main Street and small-town Western character

Greenview is All About Community

Volunteer Janelle Regenitter has served on the board of the Valley Oaks Community Center, located next to the Scott Valley Grange, for decades. Janelle has been assisting with food distribution in Greenview for over 30 years. Janelle meets the GNS team to receive food items on the same day as Fort Jones and Etna, however, she and other volunteers coordinate the distributions on Fridays because they work better for the community. Janelle's T-shirt says it all: Support Local!

Fun Facts About Greenview

Population:

• Greenview CDP (1.3 sq. mi.): 208
• Entire Zip Code of 96037 (about 3.0 sq. mi.): 312

Famous for:

• Located in the heart of Scott Valley, between Etna and Fort Jones
• Originally known as Hayes Corner
• Historic agriculture and ranching, reflecting Scott Valley's farming and livestock heritage
• Once a small commercial center with a hotel, creamery, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, theater, stores, and post office
• Home to the long-established Scott Valley Feed Store
• Historic Perry Harris American Legion Post #260
• Rural scenery and access to the Scott River, Marble Mountains, Russian Wilderness, and Klamath National Forest

Gazelle is On The Move

Taking in the scenery: Jason contemplates the beautiful view of Gazelle's open fields and rolling hills as he prepares for a distribution in front of the historic Denny-Bar store. Here, the GNS team will directly handle signups and distribute food. The busy community of Gazelle stops by for a friendly chat and off they go, back to farms, ranches, and homes to finish out their day.

Fun Facts About Gazelle

Population:

• Gazelle CDP (0.7 sq. mi.): 95 estimated residents
• Entire ZIP Code of 96034: 332 estimated residents

Famous for:

• Historic ranching and agriculture in the Shasta Valley; cattle and dairy operations have been important to the Gazelle area since the 1800s.
• Railroad history: the California & Oregon/Southern Pacific railroad reached Gazelle in March 1887, helping establish it as a rural transportation and shipping point.
• Historic Denny-Bar Company presence; Gazelle's branch handled freight forwarding for the company's network of Northern California stores.
• Wide-open Shasta Valley scenery, with views toward Mount Shasta and the surrounding mountains
• Long-standing cattle ranching traditions and large working ranches
• A small, historic rural community along the old railroad corridor between Weed and Yreka
• Nosy Deer who are apparently quite well known in the neighborhood ☺

Celebrate National Dog Day With the GNS Team on August 26th!
GNS is more than a dog-friendly office, we are a dog-family office! Staff may bring their canine companions to work, which brings smiles and improved productivity on a daily basis. We get our work done amid strolling visits for treats, friendly woofs, and co-workers sharing stories about our four-legged besties.

Join us in celebrating humankind's best friends!

Most of our pets are rescues and we work together as a team to socialize dogs that otherwise may not have had many options. We are proud to say that our canine office crew has perfect manners! (Ahem)

Also, a shout-out to our staff members with dogs whose busy schedules prevent them from visiting the office. We are almost at 100% dog-ownership here at GNS! 


Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Brandy with Gus (left) and Wally (the Tall One)
Christine with Tank, who lives up to his name

Jason with Lola, who is 9 years young and looks/acts like a puppy

Kevin with Bella, who is dealing with some health issues like a champ!

Liane with Buddy, our official greeter

Paula with River, a bundle of pure energy

Vickie with McKenzie, an extra-fluffy BFF to everyone he meets

Cammi, who enjoys the spotlight and fine jewelery

And Bodie, our dear friend who transitioned over the Rainbow Bridge

We are so grateful for our our canine office mates! 🐾

In Memoriam:
Bodie

Thank You to everyone who makes our work possible! Recent support has come from many individuals, families, service clubs, and other organizations, including local businesses and foundations:

Vehicle Donations Help Support Meals on Wheels South Siskiyou

Ray's All Access Community Rewards

Designate Great Northern Services as your preferred nonprofit and Ray's Food Place will donate 1% of qualified purchases to support GNS countywide food programs. Simply email the phone number associated with your All Access account to AllAccess@CKMarket.com. Click here for full details.

Thank you C&K markets and All Access Community Rewards members for providing consistent support for our work!

Scan to sign up for Ray's All Access Community Rewards, and to link your Rewards to GNS as your chosen nonprofit.

GNS is committed to transparency and we are proud of our Platinum GuideStar rating and Four-Star Charity Navigator rating.

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