Gold Dust & Walker Farms

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Search Results for: toys for tots

We Need Some Elves!

November 26, 2020 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Toys For Tots Santa poster

Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, we’re going to start seeing Christmas trees dressing up front windows and lights twinkling through early dark evenings. And around Merrill and Malin, you’re going to start seeing boxes taking donations for Toys For Tots!

This year instead of just taking donations at our sheds, we’ve set up several Donation Stations. Several businesses have been gracious enough to help us collect new, unwrapped toys and other gifts for local kids. From now through December 9th, you can stop by one of our Donation Stations and help make a child’s Christmas merrier.

You can find the Donation Stations at the following businesses:

  • Gold Dust & Walker Farms packing shed
  • Malin Country Diner
  • Taqueria Jaliscience 2 in Malin
  • Martin’s Grocery Store in Merrill
  • Casa Villanueva in Merrill
  • Pappy Gander & Company in Merrill

Wherever you see our signs, you can drop off a toy or gift for a child aged from newborn to 18 years old. Often times teenagers are forgotten about for toy drives, so we encourage keeping them in your thoughts as well. And if you don’t have time to go shopping, we’ve set up a fundraiser page! Visit the Gold Dust & Walker Farms #Elf Team 2020 page, hit the red “Donate” button and you can contribute money for our local Toys For Tots shoppers to purchase gifts with.

Along with Make-A-Wish, Toys For Tots has a special place in our hearts. Toys For Tots has been a part of our holiday tradition for years, and it never ceases to amaze us how generous our employees, customers and community are. We realize 2020 has been a tough year for a lot of people, which makes everyone’s generosity that much more meaningful.

If you’re able to help this Christmas season, we hope you can. Every little bit goes a long ways to bringing joy into a kid’s Christmas.

  • Gold Dust & Walker Farms Toys For Tots flier
  • GDWF Toys For Tots Donation Stations

Filed Under: Gold Dust Potato Processors

Tis The Season at Gold Dust and Walker Farms

December 21, 2017 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

The 161 presents Gold Dust and Walker Farms donated to Klamath Falls Toys For Tots.
Thanks to our employees, carriers and growers, Gold Dust and Walker Farms donated 161 gifts to Toys For Tots

Yesterday, December 20th, Gold Dust held its annual office Christmas party at Bill and Jan’s house just north of our campus. The atmosphere was merry and there was lots of laughs and cheer over the white elephant gift exchange. Good food, good times and great people always make the holidays a special time of year!

While on the topic of great people, Gold Dust and Walker Farms are blessed to work with the most generous folks. If you look through our farm’s blog, you’ll find post after post about giving and donating. This year alone our companies and the people who help us succeed raised $31,000 and 135,000 airline miles for Make-A-Wish Oregon. So, it goes without saying that when the holidays roll around, we also experience the generosity of the people coming and going from our packing shed.

Marion Harp, Melissa Olsen, Suzanne Wallace, Matt Thompson, Salvador Vera, Erick Vera and Jesse Turner enjoying lunch at Jan Walker's house for Gold Dust's 2017 Office Christmas Party.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Gold Dust and Walker Farms!
Salvador Vera showing off his new office pet goldfish at the Gold Dust Potatoes 2017 Office Christmas Party.
Salvador and his “prize” – a goldfish for his office!
Weston Walker, Tricia (Walker) Hill, Jan Walker, Nayeli Pena, Katie Walker and daughter Madison at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2017 Christmas Party at Jan's house outside of Malin, Oregon.
Happy Holidays from Nayeli and the Walker Family

Photo credits Lexi Crawford

Years past, we’ve held food drives for the Klamath and Lake County Food Bank and adopted a family for Christmas. More recently, we’ve been holding toy drives for our local Toys For Tots. For example, last year between what our employees donated and what the company matched, we were able to fill the back of Tricia AND Lexi’s SUVs! This year, with Nayeli Pena leading the charge, we held another successful toy drive for Toys For Tots.

And this year was amazing! As usual, our farm, shed and office crews contributed with toys and cash. Truck drivers that work for the various carriers that deliver our chipping potatoes and hay to our customers also contributed. Then our growers stepped up, with Luke Robison’s family donating $500. Our office was filled with toys and bicycles, and the cash donation bucket was filled with a variety of bills. Overall, 25 toys, four bicycles and around $1,000 was donated by the incredibly generous people we work and do business with. And yes, Gold Dust and Walker Farms matched it!

On Tuesday, December 19th, Tricia and her husband made the trek to Fred Meyers in Klamath Falls to fulfill Gold Dust’s end of the bargain. Fred Meyer’s manager also stepped up, offering discounts to help our contributions go even further. In the end, we were able to drop off 161 gifts to the Klamath Falls Toys For Tots.

Tricia Hill with Toys For Tots volunteers at their Toys For Tots Drop Station in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
When dropping off the gifts, Toys For Tots volunteers told Tricia about the 2,000 kids these presents would go to in the Klamath Basin

That donation was very much needed. When dropping off the gifts, one of the Toys For Tots volunteers told Tricia that this year they were trying to provide gifts for 2,000 local kids – 500 more than they expected. When you consider how many households are in the Klamath Basin, that’s a lot of families that are affected. All the donations to the Klamath Falls Toys For Tots program stay local – which means when you give a gift in our community, it stays in our community.

Gold Dust Potato Processors employee Suzanne Wallace helping load a truck with donated chipping potatoes.
Suzanne Wallace helping load one of our donations of potatoes. Photo credit Lexi Crawford.

Along with Toys For Tots, we also donated truck loads of potatoes to area charity groups and organizations. Those groups included Integral Youth Services, Women Infant Health, Malin City Hall, Tulelake-Newell Family Center, Klamath KID Center, Klamath Lake Community Actions, Henley High School FFA, Bonanza High School FFA, Bonanza Community Church, Livingsprings Church, Klamath Senior Center, Faith Tabernacle Church and Marta’s House in Klamath Falls. All of these organizations give back to community and we’re happy that we’re able to help them with their causes during the holidays.

We are proud of our employees and the people we do business with and the amount of generosity they showed with this year’s giving. Though we focused our holiday giving on our local Toys For Tots, there are lots of other ways to help. Consider those 2,000 children – their families likely also need help providing food, paying the power bill and more. Whether you slip something into one of the Salvation Army’s red kettles or take canned food to the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank (you can donate online too!), every little bit helps someone in our community.

Before we wrap this up and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year, we’d like to give Nayeli a big thank you for her work on this. We’d also like to thank Luke Robison’s family for their generous donation and to thank everyone who donated cash or toys. We’d also like say thank you to the Fred Meyer’s managers and cashier who helped make our donations go further. And of course, thank you to Toys For Tots for providing the spirit of Christmas to kids in our community. When you think about our company slogan, “where together we grow”, it’s evident that it extends beyond our sheds and farm and into the community as well. It’s part of what makes the Klamath Basin a great place to live.

And now, may everyone have a happy and safe holiday season and here’s to an amazing 2018!

Filed Under: chipping potatoes, community, gold dust office, Gold Dust Potato Processors, holidays, walker brothers

It’s Holiday Time Again at Gold Dust and Walker Brothers!

December 23, 2016 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

There isn’t much snow on the ground – yet. We’re crossing our fingers for a white Christmas, but whether or not our wish comes true it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the holidays at Gold Dust and Walker Brothers!

Between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, the holiday season kicks off while the farm quiets down a little and the packing shed goes in to full swing. Trucks line the driveway, waiting to be loaded with chipping potatoes. Inside our offices, though the din of the processing plant hums in the background, in some of the offices Christmas music can be heard playing in the background.

A photo taken by Christa Moore of the Misfit Tree donated to the Malin Library by Bill Walker and Gold Dust Potato Processors.
What a perfect tree for a library! Thanks to Christa Moore for the photo!

This year, Bill, Jan, Tricia and Tricia’s husband, Darcy, attended the Klamath Basin Assistance League’s Christmas Tree Jubilee at the Running Y Resort. This organization does a lot of good work in the Klamath Basin, and one of their primary campaigns is raising money for Operation School Bell which allows poor children to go shopping for school clothes. Bill, who was caught in the Christmas spirit, had one tree in particular he wanted. After the bidding ended, he won the upside down tree he was after! Instead of having it set up at his house or at Gold Dust’s headquarters, the tree and the goodies that came with it were donated to the Malin Library, where it is on display. Bill also managed to get another smaller tree for the shed!

This time of year is also when Gold Dust and Walker Brothers hold the annual Holiday Leadership Meeting. This year the meeting was held at Italianna’s Ristorante and Gelateria, located just off of Shasta Way in Klamath Falls. While our guests enjoyed drinks, dinner and dessert, Tricia, Lexi, Bart, Matt, John and Weston gave presentations. The main topic of the evening was how the shed and the farm could save money. Though Gold Dust and Walker Brothers are in a good position, the situation for agriculture in general is looking down. To preemptively beat the downturn, our managers turned to our businesses’ employees for their thoughts on how, as John put it, “we can pick up the pennies”. Ideas ranged from having a different time clock system to moving pay day. Along with making the businesses leaner and meaner, Tricia and Lexi asked the group for keywords to describe the ideal Gold Dust and Walker Brothers co-worker. The results? Ownership of tasks and duties, strong work ethic, and a positive outlook. Honorable mention attributes included honesty, “no drama” and the ability to not only work well with others but to also work independently.

Gold Dust Potato Processors and Walker Brothers farms' guests visiting before dinner at the annual Holiday Leadership Dinner at Italianna's Ristorante in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Our guests enjoyed drinks and visited before dinner was served
Sachin Rawat, Dan Pappe, Don Scronce, Toby Turner, Chris Hale and his wife cutting up before dinner at Gold Dust's 2016 Leadership Dinner held at Italianna's Ristorante.
Toby looked pretty amped for the dinner and meeting!
Bart Crawford and Matt Thompson sharing insights about safety that can help bring down costs at Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' Leadership Dinner.
Bart and Matt sharing how safety initiatives and insights can bring down costs.
John Walker talking to the guests at Walker Brothers and Gold Dust's annual Leadership Dinner.
John discussing how we can “pick up all the pennies”
Weston Walker thanking Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' employees at the end of the 2016 Leadership Dinner.
Weston thanked our employees for their hard work and dedication at the end of dinner
David Petersen, Trino Zendehas Rodriguez, and Salvador and Alma Vera listening to Felimon Zendejas Acosta tell a story after the 2016 Leadership Dinner.
Our guests mingled and visited after the Leadership Dinner and meeting

This meeting is also when our most outstanding employees are recognized for their contributions. The first person recognized represented many of the traits that were mentioned that make an ideal co-worker – he takes ownership, has a strong work ethic and displays dedication. And when presenting Kelly Cole with his award, Weston also pointed out his strong, positive attitude.

The next award was presented by Lexi for an employee who “took on a project no one conquered”. Not only did he take over our ag drone program, he handled the GAP audit, the food safety audit and the organic audit. And, according to Matt, Jeremy Turner was the model for ownership.

The last employee was recognized by John, and this fellow started off with us as a spud truck driver. Weston loves to tell the story of how his truck got stuck in a field his first harvest with Walker Brothers, and when he was told the only way to get out was to dig it out, he found a shovel and proceeded to do just that. Through his tireless dedication and work ethic, he’s now in charge of many of Walker Brothers’ important processes, from training potato truck drivers to taking care of the seed potato. Not only does this man go above the call of duty, our agronomist, Sachin Rawat, says Dan Pappe is a good teacher.  Thank you Dan for your years of dedication, and thank you to Kelly and Jeremy for stepping up and exemplifying the virtues that help Gold Dust and Walker Brothers thrive!

Weston Walker and John Walker presented Kelly Cole with an award recognizing his hard work and dedication on Walker Brothers' hay farm.
Weston and John presenting Kelly an award for his hard work and dedication on the hay farm.
Lexi Crawford presented Jeremy Turner an award in recognition of his ownership for the various projects he took over for Gold Dust and Walker Brothers.
Jeremy not only showed ownership by taking over the drone program, he took over the various audits too
John Walker recognized Dan Pappe with an award recognizing his years of hard work and dedication to Walker Brothers and Gold Dust.
Dan Pappe was recognized for being one of Gold Dust and Walker Brothers’ most dedicated employees

It wouldn’t be a holiday blog post without mentioning our favorite way to give back to the community – our company toy drive. This year, our employees contributed $166.15, which Gold Dust matched, and gave 25 gifts. In the end, this resulted in 66 gifts donated to our local Toys for Tots drive! Well done!

Tricia (Walker) Hill and Lexi Crawford delivering toys to the Toys for Tots program.
That’s quite a haul from Gold Dust and Walker Brothers’ employees! Well done!

But the toy drive wasn’t the only event in our offices. The Gold Dust office staff held their annual ugly sweater contest and had a Secret Santa gift exchange to help celebrate the season. Weston took home the dubious honor of having the ugliest sweater, followed by Lexi. All in all, though a little more low-key than year’s past, it was a wonderful way for our staff to get together before Christmas.

Before we wrap this up, to our employees who make our businesses great to the folks we do business with that have helped us grow, we would like to wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and happiest of New Years. We hope that everyone is able to get together with the ones they love, and that 2017 is bright and prosperous.

Happy Holidays!

Filed Under: farm, gold dust office, Gold Dust Potato Processors, walker brothers

Holiday Time At Gold Dust & Walker Brothers

December 29, 2015 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

An icy road surrounded by snow in rural Klamath County, December, 2015.
There’s snow in the Klamath Basin!

In time for the holidays, snow has covered the Basin.  Aside from the peacefulness created by the white blanket, hopes of a good water-year are filling everyone who lives here with optimism.  After the years of drought, a true white Christmas with fresh snow brings with it the anticipation of a bright – and wet – 2016.

This time of year brings with it office parties and celebrations of all sorts, and it’s the same for Gold Dust and Walker Brothers. For the past four years, some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the companies’ partners invite the managers and most important employees to dinner to discuss the current state of the businesses, where they see things going and to recognize three people who are doing an outstanding job.  This year, the Leadership Dinner was held December 5th at Mr. B’s in Klamath Falls.  After appetizers and mingling over drinks, Bill and John welcomed the guests and discussed how building relationships is helping Walker Brothers and Gold Dust succeed.  Tricia and Weston followed them with the changes the company made over the past year, some of the challenges the farm and businesses faced, discussed what had been successfully implemented from last year’s Leadership Dinner and welcomed ideas for the upcoming year.

Bill and John Walker thank the leaders of Gold Dust and Walker Brothers for their hard-work.
Bill and John say “Thank You!” to Gold Dust and Walker Brothers’ leaders
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers leaders enjoy dinner at Mr. B's in Klamath Falls, Oregon for the 2015 Leadership Dinner.
Dinner is served!
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' leaders and their spouses pose for a group photo at the 2015 Leadership Dinner.
This is a good-looking bunch of people!

Following dinner, the Top 3 Leaders of 2015 were presented by Weston and Tricia. Though she was home with a sick child that night, Nayeli Pena was recognized for her leadership in the office. For those not familiar with Nayeli’s history with Gold Dust, she started off on the packing shed floor sorting potatoes and worked her way into the front office.  Showing an incredible work ethic and attention to detail, Tricia and Bill constantly asked her to come work upstairs until she finally said yes, where she continues to shine.  Weston and Lexi presented Toby Turner with an award for Outstanding Farm Manager.  Toby started with Walker Brothers as an equipment operator and over the last few summers has stepped up and helped Weston grow the hay farm.  Not only does he help with growing and haying the alfalfa, he helps with loading trucks, keeping an eye on the hay inventory with the Gold Dust office staff – earning him the role of Hay Farm Manager.  The final leader recognized was Matt Thompson.  Bill and John talked about when Matt started with the company, unsure if he’d make it through a summer of farm work.  But he made it through that summer, and with Salvador, puts in the long hours during shipping season to manage the packing shed and it’s crew, earning him the nick-name “Little Bill”.

Toby Turner received an award for his hard work as Hay Manager for Walker Brothers at the 2015 Leadership Dinner.
Well done, Toby!
Bill and John Walker congratulate Matt Thompson for his hard work as the packing shed manager at the 2015 Leadership Dinner.
Good job, Matt!

Since Christmas is a major part of the season, this time of year also brings with the annual Gold Dust toy drive.  From November through December, Gold Dust sets up a jar for donations and encourages employees to donate toys for the local Toys for Tots program.  For every toy donated, Gold Dust matches the gift.  This year, Gold Dust and its employees raised $216 and as a group donated over 60 toys!

A pile of toys donated by Gold Dust's employees for the company's toy drive for the Klamath Falls Toys For Tots.
This . . .
Walker and Penny Crawford, children of Bart and Lexi Crawford, pose with toys gathered for Gold Dust's 2015 Toy Drive for the local Toys For Tots.
With the help of these two elves . . .
Tricia Hill and Bill Walker stand with over 60 toys donated by Gold Dust and its employees to the Klamath Falls Toys For Tots program.
Turned into this! Well done, Gold Dust crew!

Keeping in the Christmas spirit, Gold Dust’s office staff upheld their annual ugly sweater contest, desk decorating contest and secret Santa exchange.  This year, Santos Flores took home, ahem, “top” honors for his sweater of choice while Rich and Jeanne teamed up for the best decorated office!

Gold Dust's office staff watch on as Danielle Southern opens her Secret Santa gift at Gold Dust's 2015 Office Christmas Party.
Whatever it is, everyone is excited to see what Danielle got!
Santos Flores with the rest of the participants of Gold Dust's 2015 Ugly Sweater Contest.
Santos won, but from what I can tell not by much!
Rich Wright and Jeanne Plante look from the window of the office they decorated for Gold Dust's Christmas Office Decorating Contest.
Looks great, Rich and Jeanne!

Another annual holiday tradition is the Holiday Luncheon held at our packing shed.  For lunch, Santos arranged for Gold Dust and Walker Brothers employees to gather on the packing shed floor for a catered lunch from Tacos Ala Mexicana of Merrill.  Among the Christmas trees made from old pallets, our crews visited while munching on enchiladas and tacos.  After Bill, Tricia and Weston thanked everyone for their hard work – and their generosity for the toy drive! – cake was served.

Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' employees gather at their Malin, Oregon potato packing shed for lunch.
Everyone looks merry and bright
Bill Walker, CEO of Gold Dust Potato Processors, thanks his employees on the floor of the company's potato processing plant in Malin, Oregon.
Bill wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and thanking them for a great year
Santos Flores, HR manager at Gold Dust Potatoes, holds up a Christmas cake for the 2015 Holiday Luncheon held at Gold Dust's packing shed.
Thanks for setting up the Holiday Luncheon, Santos!
Tricia Hill's daughters, Mari and Rory, join the Gold Dust and Walker Brothers crews for lunch at the 2015 Holiday Luncheon in Malin, OR.
Tricia’s daughters Mari and Rory joined the staff for lunch and cake!

While this time of year always brings out the charity in everyone, Gold Dust would like to encourage giving year-round.  One of the ways we try to help is by getting food to our local food bank.  Aside from donating potatoes, with the help of Rich Wright, our trucking dispatcher and broker, we also facilitate the moving of food items for the Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation and the Klamath Lake County Food Bank.  While we have trucks and someone with a big heart to help us help these organizations throughout the year, we all can find ways to help out in our community so the holiday spirit lasts throughout the year.  Even if you don’t want to give money or donate food, there are a lot of creative ways to give back, and even giving your time to these organizations helps make a difference.

It’s been quite a year, and we couldn’t have had as good of one if it weren’t for our amazing employees.  Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to our companies.  We hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas with their families.  And here’s to a fantastic 2016!

Filed Under: gold dust office, Gold Dust Potato Processors, holidays, walker brothers

Happy Holidays From Gold Dust and Walker Brothers!

December 30, 2014 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Tricia (Walker) Hill, Weston Walker, Bill Walker and John Walker smile with a donation headed to Klamath Falls, Oregon's Toys For Tots Foundation.
That’s quite a haul for Klamath Falls’ Toys For Tots!

We’ve finally made it to December.  The driveway to Gold Dust’s packing shed is lined up with trucks, while our shed crews work hard to get them loaded with chipping potatoes and on their way.  Yes, it’s busy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a little time during the holiday season to have a little fun and spread some good cheer.

This year we held our annual packing shed Christmas luncheon on Monday, December 22nd and brought in a fantastic spread from Subway (including those delicious Lay’s potato chips!).  The Christmas luncheon isn’t only an opportunity for our shed and farm crews to get together for lunch, but also a chance for the partners of Walker Brothers and Gold Dust to thank our employees for all of their hard work.

Happy Holidays, ladies and gentleman!
Tables? We don’t need no stinkin’ tables!
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' leaders enjoying lunch at the 2014 Christmas luncheon in Malin, Oregon.
Merry Christmas, gentlemen!
Matt Thompson, Salvador Vera, Adrian Mendez and other members of the shed crew having lunch at the Gold Dust Christmas luncheon.
Now THIS is a serious shed crew! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, fellas!
Gold Dust growers George Rajnus and Matt Huffman joined Gold Dust and Walker Brothers at the annual Christmas luncheon.
Who let these guys in? Happy holidays, George and Matt!
Brothers Bill and John Walker enjoying lunch at the 2014 Christmas luncheon.
These have to be the happiest guys in the room!
Farm mechanic Mark Smith dishes up lunch at the 2014 Christmas luncheon held by Gold Dust and Walker Brothers in Malin, Oregon.
Yes, Santa Claus is on the payroll
Jan Walker eating lunch with her daughter, Tricia Hill, and her son, Weston Walker, at the 2014 Christmas luncheon.
Jan, are you enjoying lunch with your kids?
Felimon Acosta and the shed crew enjoying lunch at the 2014 Christmas luncheon held by Gold Dust and Walker Bros.
Felimon – why so serious? Christmas is almost here!
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers partners Bill, John and Weston Walker thank the shed and farm crews at the 2014 Christmas Luncheon.
Bill, John and Weston thanking our crews for another fantastic year

Since it’s the season of giving, every year we try to come up with a way to give to our community and help others have a wonderful Christmas.  In the past we’ve raised money, gathered food for the Food Bank and have even adopted a family.  This year, Tricia suggested we do a toy drive for Toys For Tots.  Employees were encouraged to donate a toy (or cash) and for every toy (or dollar) donated, Gold Dust would match it.  As a result of our employees’ generosity, Gold Dust donated a total of 50 toys!  Thanks to the donations and Tricia and Katie Walker’s savvy shopping skills, not only were dolls and trucks gifted but also scooters and bicycles.  We are always impressed with how our employees step up and give, and this year is no exception.  Well done!

However, Gold Dust didn’t only donate toys this year.  Throughout the year, our dispatcher, Rich Wright, worked with Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation (SOOF) to haul supplies to area food banks.  In 2014, Gold Dust hauled between 20-25 loads for them.  Not only that, we donated two loads of potatoes to SOOF.  Those potatoes were sold at SOOF’s retail outlets to help them fill emergency pantries for food banks all over Southern Oregon.

It’s been another fantastic year for Gold Dust and Walker Brothers.  And though we haven’t had the White Christmas we hoped we would to build up the snow-pack in the mountains, it at least has been a wet Christmas.  As this is being written, snow is gently covering the floor of the Klamath Basin so maybe our Christmas wishes will come true.  With that in mind, all of us at Gold Dust Potato Processors and Walker Brothers hope you and your families have had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a blessed New Year.

C’mon 2015!

Filed Under: community, farm, Gold Dust Potato Processors, holidays, walker brothers

Happy Holidays From Gold Dust!

December 26, 2012 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

The Christmas cake served at the Gold Dust Holiday party in Malin, Oregon.
. . . and a Happy New Year!

Snow is on the ground and cheer is in the air.  It looks quite a bit like Christmas around the Klamath Basin.  The holiday spirit is alive and well at Gold Dust!

Last Thursday (December 20th), if you visited the offices at the shed you may have noticed some of the office staff were dressed in “festive” (the word being a euphemism) sweaters.  Since these folks usually are sharper dressers than what the photos show, you can surmise it was the annual ugly Christmas sweater contest.  This year, there was a tie (who knew there could be two sweaters that terrible, right?) between Laura and Necia.  If you thought those were nice enough to wear to your Christmas dinner, you may want to fire your stylist.

The next day, Tacos Ala Mexicana were brought in for Christmas lunch for the shop, shed and office crews.  Tables were set up on the shed floor while Gold Dust’s employees visited and lunched on enchiladas, tacos, rice and beans.  After the cake was cut and served, on behalf of the partners, Weston thanked everyone for their continued hard work and dedication before wishing a Merry Christmas to all.

As you read in our last blog post “Gold Dust Hits The Road For Food Bank and SOOF“, Gold Dust donated 40,000 pounds of potatoes to Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation and the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.  Also in the blog post, you may have noticed the employees were raising money for Toys For Tots and the food bank.  How much was raised?  The employees pooled together $300, which was matched by Gold Dust’s partners to bring the total to $600 to be split evenly between the two organizations.  Well done!

Before wrapping up this post (unintentional Christmas pun!), on behalf of Bill, John, Weston and Tricia, we hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year.  And to our employees, who work in the shed, the fields, the shop and in our offices, again, thank you for everything you do to make Gold Dust and Walker Brothers successful.  Without our hardworking crews, we couldn’t be the best farm and processing plant in the Basin.  Thank you.

Here’s to a bright 2013!

Necia Phillips showing off her ugly Christmas sweater at the Gold Dust office in Malin, Oregon.
Keep reaching for the stars, Necia! And yes, she stood like that all day.
Gold Dust office employees show off their Christmas sweaters for the annual ugly Christmas sweater contest.
No, this is not a police lineup, despite the fact it’s a crime against fashion
Gold Dust employees having holiday lunch at Gold Dust's Malin potato packing shed.
Our hardworking crews enjoying a well-deserved Christmas lunch
Mark Smith talking to Necia Phillips at Gold Dust's 2012 Holiday Luncheon in Malin, OR.
I think we have a possible Santa sighting! Everybody – look innocent!
Weston Walker thanking the Gold Dust employees at the 2012 Holiday Luncheon
Weston thanking our crews for their hard work and dedication
The Christmas cake served at the Gold Dust Holiday party in Malin, Oregon.
. . . and a Happy New Year!

Filed Under: farm, gold dust office, Gold Dust Potato Processors, holidays, potato shed, walker brothers

Gold Dust Hits The Road For The Food Bank and SOOF

December 18, 2012 By Gold Dust Farms 3 Comments

A truck and trailer operated by Gold Dust Potato Processors delivers potatoes to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.
Last stop – The Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank!

On our way from our cars and pickups through the front doors of the stores in town, we hear the familiar ringing of the kettle-minders’ bells encouraging us to give whatever small amount we can afford.  The newspaper headlines proclaim the economy is eating into charitable giving and the newsreaders back up the claim in their nightly newscasts.  Yep, it’s tough out there.

With that in mind, this year Gold Dust decided to help two organizations help families in need by not just opening our check book, but by offering some logistics.  Rich Wright, our dispatcher, organized a food run over the weekend to help out not only the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank, but also Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation (SOOF), an organization that we’ve been working with to bring food and supplies back to the Klamath Basin. But not only did we donate the time and fuel of one of our semis, we also threw in some pallets of potatoes to help fill their pantries.  How many potatoes, you ask?  40,000 pounds.  And yes, they were potatoes we grew and processed right in Malin as well as some we purchased from another local grower.

After heading over the hill to Grants Pass to SOOF’s warehouse, Gold Dust’s truck swung by the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank to drop off two pallets of potatoes and three pallets of groceries from SOOF.  Though Mother Nature covered our mountains (and the roads as well) with much needed snow, James Anderson, the driver, made the 300 mile round trip safely and with no incidents.  The groceries and potatoes will help families in Klamath and Lake Counties over the Christmas holiday and into the new year.

While we’re proud of that accomplishment and being able to help both of those organizations during a time of year they need it most, we’re also proud of what our employees are doing around the packing shed.  If you go into the office, there’s a jar that our office and floor employees have been filling.  It’s hard to say what the current tally is, but when the period of giving is over, the funds will be matched by Gold Dust and then split between the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank and Toys For Tots.  If you’ve read this blog much at all, you’ll see we constantly say we have a high caliber of people working for us.  The giving these folks are doing is yet another example of why we’re proud of the people that are in our offices, out on the processing plant floor and out in the fields.  And we can’t wait to see how much is raised!

We hope everyone is having a happy Christmas season, and if you want to help, we highly recommend visiting the Web sites of the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank and Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation.  On the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank site, they have a page showing how you can help the food bank.  And if you’d like to get in touch with Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation to see how you can help, visit SOOF’s contact page.  And be sure to read our press release!

Pallets of potatoes awaiting delivery to Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation and the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank from Gold Dust Potato Processors.
Yes, that’s what 40,000 pounds of donated spuds look like
A worker at SOOF unloads potatoes donated by Gold Dust Potato Processors at their Cave Junction warehouse.
SOOF is getting these potatoes unloaded and making room for more groceries to deliver
A truck and trailer operated by Gold Dust Potato Processors delivers potatoes to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.
Last stop – The Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank!

Filed Under: chipping potatoes, community, gold dust office, Gold Dust Potato Processors, potato shed, sustainable farming

Gold Dust Hits Snowy Roads To Help SOOF, Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank

Local Potato Processors Hit Snowy Roads To Help Local Outreach Organizations

Gold Dust Potato Processors hauls potatoes, pallets of food for Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation and the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.

Malin, OR (www.golddustfarms.com) December 18, 2012 – On Saturday, December 16th, a truck loaded with pallets of potatoes  purchased and processed by Gold Dust Potato Processors, Inc., pulled into Southern Oregon Outreach Foundation’s  (SOOF) warehouse in Grants Pass as the first leg of a two part delivery to bring food to SOOF and the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.

At SOOF, Gold Dust delivered 40,000 pounds of potatoes for their local outreach programs.  The truck’s trailer was emptied except for two pallets and filled again with pallets of groceries for delivery to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank to help Klamath Basin and Lake county families before the Christmas holiday.

“Both of these organizations are doing a ton of work to help folks here in the Basin, ” said Bill Walker, CEO of Gold Dust.  “I’m glad we can use some of our resources to help them keep doing the good work they do, especially during the holidays.”

Since February of this year, Gold Dust has been hauling pallets of food and other goods gathered by SOOF for the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank.  Though based in Cave Junction, Oregon, SOOF has been sending over extra supplies they have accumulated to be dispersed to the Klamath Basin’s food bank and other outreach organizations.  Gold Dust has offered a discounted rate to SOOF for loads picked up at other places while delivering to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank for free.  To date, Gold Dust has hauled over 30,000 pounds of groceries to the Klamath Basin for SOOF.

The donations to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank help provide for the 18,000 square miles they serve in Klamath and Lake Counties.  Over the past three years, the food bank has seen a shift from primarily serving senior citizens and the disabled to also helping families where the primary earner has either suffered from a cutback in pay or job loss.  On Monday, December 19th, Gold Dust delivered the two remaining pallets of potatoes and three pallets of groceries from SOOF.

Gold Dust’s employees have also been raising money for the Toys for Tots program as well as the local food bank.  Gold Dust’s partners have agreed to match what the employees have raised and the funds will be divided between the two organizations.  Last year, the employees adopted a family for Christmas.

If you are interested in donating to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank, please visit klamathfoodbank.org for more information on their location and drop box locations.  For more information on helping SOOF, people are encouraged to visit www.southernoregonoutreach.org.

About Gold Dust Potato Processors:

Gold Dust is a family held company that operates from its offices in Malin, Oregon.  Gold Dust provides frying and chipping potato varieties to US-based, Central American and Pacific Rim snack-food companies.   For more information about Gold Dust, please visit www.golddustfarms.com.

Contact:

Lexi Crawford, Business Manager
Gold Dust Potato Processors, Inc. / Walker Brothers
541.723.2600
www.golddustfarms.com

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Click to download a Word version of this press release.

For photos and other information, please visit our blog post Gold Dust Hits The Road For The Food Bank and SOOF.

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