The Double R Show

Lifting People Up

Roger Robertson, aka Double R Season 3 Episode 141

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0:00 | 30:14

Episode Highlights:

Lifting People Up explores how a community strengthens itself from the ground up. We speak with the Lincoln City Food Pantry about addressing food insecurity in North Lincoln County, and with Northwest Coastal Housing about the addition of 12 new tiny homes expanding transitional housing options.

The episode also features Terry Fator, bringing his Pure Imagination: Once Upon a Voice tour to Chinook Winds Casino Resort on March 7. The 90-minute production showcases the impressions, comedy, and ventriloquism that have made him a national headliner, including classic characters and recognizable celebrity voices.

From meeting essential needs to filling a hot air balloon with light-hearted laughter, this episode looks at different ways people are lifted up—through service, opportunity, and shared experience.

  • Tilly Miller and John Kanicsar, Lincoln City Pantry
  • Sheila Stiley, NW Coastal Housing
  • Terry Fator, winner of America's Got Talent

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Jana

Welcome to the Double R Show, the podcast that features everything about North Lincoln County. The Double R Show, directed and produced by Paul Robertson and hosted by the voice of Lincoln City, Roger Robertson.

RR

And welcome to the Double R Show. Double R along with Son Paul. And today we're going to have an opportunity to talk to people that are really making a difference in the lives of residents here in Lincoln City.

Son Paul

Yeah, lifting people up. You know, we're seeing a lot of this uh great work being done locally, and uh we've got another special guest that's gonna be lifting people up with his voice.

RR

Well, with his voice, with his actions, with his singing, and with his giving. And we'll talk with that gentleman live right here on the Double R show right after this.

Zellers

Yeah.

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RR

If you're looking for great early garden fresh produce, it's Kenny's IGA in the Bay Area of Lincoln City. Four generations of Morgans caring for your every grocery need. All your favorite beverages of full deli, meat produce, and of course, groceries.

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RR

Food. How can we have enough for the people that really need it? That's a great question to be asking Tilly Miller at the Lincoln City Pantry. You have a huge organization.

Tilly Miller

Well, yes, there are lots of volunteers in Lincoln City and from the Vineyard Church helping out.

RR

We just did a tour and the number of people that are out filling bags at this point in time. Well what's what's that all about?

Tilly Miller

Just lots of people that uh have a heart and compassion for others and want to uh do something positive.

RR

What is the biggest need right now at the Lincoln City Pantry?

John

Uh there are some days where uh uh product like Top Ramen, you know, we're short. We don't get that from the uh from the food share organization. That's like a a buy that we go out and do. Uh Taylor will stop here early in the morning and check those racks that we were looking at and see where we're low and then go out and buy that. So cash donations would be an excellent way to help because uh what we need today, if I told you, might not be what we need next week. But we know daily what we need, so being able to go buy it from the best store.

RR

You you talk about uh going to buy, but uh you also receive a lot of food contributions, do you not?

John

Oh yes, we'll get uh several hundred pounds of uh donated food a day, but when we order from the food share, which is once a week, we'll get three thousand to four thousand pounds of food from them. Typically two full pallets, uh about waist high.

RR

Until we talked about volunteerism and and volunteers here, what all can people volunteer to do?

John

Our volunteers can pack those bags that I was showing you, and when we have clients here, we grab one bag from each of those areas and take it out to their vehicle. So we'll need volunteers in the afternoon from about two o'clock until six o'clock to get product out to clients. Uh we also need people early in the morning to pack the things because if it isn't packed, it's gonna be uh confusing, would be a good word.

RR

Who can avail themselves of the pantry?

Tilly Miller

Well, we we try to make it as simple as possible. Um so uh if you live in our area and you have a need, we'll try to make sure you get some food.

RR

And do you have to come in with documentation of any kind uh that that says you are unemployed or or whatever?

Tilly Miller

No, no, we try to keep that uh not in the forefront. If they want to share that with us, we'll uh you know, listen, but it it doesn't uh restrict you from getting food.

RR

If somebody's gonna write a check, they make it out to Lincoln City food pantry? And mail it in, bring it in?

Tilly Miller

Mail is P.O. Box 1260 in Lincoln City. So 1260 Lincoln City, or you can bring it in and there's always somebody happy to take your money.

RR

One of the things upcoming uh in Lincoln City, humidity days, and we have the canned food drive uh on the streets of the highway. You have been at the forefront of that for a lot of years.

Tilly Miller

I yes, I remember the feeling of being out there in the hail or whatever, but I'm glad it's coming up again.

John

The community is really giving, is it not? It seems to be. We have people that are dropping by and just you know donating things. Sometimes they are uh moving, and so whatever they have in the pantry is going to end up here. We had one gentleman this morning who's uh leaving the country. I don't recall where he's going, but he gave us about uh 75 pounds of tuna fish and uh and pasta because he was clearing out his uh supply. I found out I heard this morning that we have somebody going to drop off some MREs. MRE is a military meals ready to eat. We have a rack out front that if we have food that people don't want and they want to bring it back, they can put it on that rack and the universe will absorb it. Other people will drive by and go, oh look, there's some food on the rack. Uh there were four of them just as while we were talking. I saw people pull up, get out, take a look at the rack, and then go away. Sometimes if we have an overage of food, we'll put it out there just because we don't want it to sit you know in storage and go bad. So we'll put it out front and then again it goes away.

RR

So how much food can a family get a at any given time? Or or is there a weight amount?

John

There's not a weight amount, but you saw the the bags that we were packing. There's eight separate bags of food, and each one would probably have well, seven cans over here, and they're like a in the store, dollar up to three dollars a can. So seven times the dollar and a half, whatever. Uh and you can just work your way on down that. Uh some of the meat we give away are packages of chicken thighs. You know, that are like eight thighs in a package. I don't shop, so I don't know how much that is. But it's probably you know more than people have in their pocket. So they stop here and they will get that. I would imagine there's around $200 to $300 worth of groceries that go out to to any any client that stops by.

RR

What days can people actually stop by and and get food uh from the pantry?

Tilly Miller

That's Tuesdays and Thursdays between two and six. Uh so you know, after work you can stop by and we'll still have something.

RR

It is uh amazing to me the number of volunteers that uh you have here, but you can always use more.

John

I said we can always use more. Uh the issue will then become how many do we have at any one given time. Passing food out in the afternoon, an optimal number would be four or five, you know, depending on the person and how many can they carry. Uh if we get six, seven, eight people in here, we start bumping into one another and causing just a little bit of confusion. So in the morning we have six people packing things. In the afternoon, we hope to have four to seven people carrying things out.

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RR

Sheila Stiley joins us next. She's the executive director of the Northwest Coastal Housing. Quite a title because it is an important title, something that uh we're probably not all that familiar with.

Sheila Stiley

Correct. Northwest Coastal Housing is actually a community development corporation. There are several around the state, and we rebranded in 2015 because we wanted people to understand that we're building housing on the Northwest Coast.

RR

But the main thing is tiny housing, correct?

Sheila Stiley

Oh no, that's uh that that's a little project outside the norm that we got to take on. So, no, we typically build multifamily housing, affordable housing. And so this was a project that came to us through the state and through one of the contracted members through the state and after the wildfires, and and they asked us if we were interested in participating, and we said absolutely.

RR

I was uh dumbfounded uh to drive past the number of tiny homes. There's eight in the project, correct?

Sheila Stiley

Twelve. Twelve. Twelve.

RR

Now you've got an event upcoming for the tiny homes. Tell us about that.

Sheila Stiley

It's a ribbon-cutting event. It's March 6th. It'll be at 1.30 in the afternoon, and we'll be having several of the members that participated in this as it's a pilot project. So there'll be representatives from the city, the state, the county, the church, and ourselves as a community-based organization that will speak and represent what this little project is about.

RR

So who's going to be able to live in these tiny homes?

Sheila Stiley

Great question. So this is funded out of disaster recovery funds through the state. So the preference units we'll be giving for individuals who are still, still not housed from our Echo Mountain complex fires. So they take the preference, and then the remainder, according to our deed restrictions, is individuals that are in Lincoln City who are under the 80% area median income and still experiencing houselessness.

RR

So can they be there long-term or is this a short-term rental or what?

Sheila Stiley

A mix of both.

RR

Okay.

Sheila Stiley

So we have three lots. Two of the lots to the north belong to the city, and the city deeded those over to us, and then there's a property to the south that we're ground leasing with the church. So on the church side, those will be six of the homes that are transitional. And on the north side, those will be long-term.

RR

Who could apply?

Sheila Stiley

Those individuals that I mentioned, the folks that are the wildfire displaced, and the individuals that are uh suffering homelessness in Lincoln City. Now there's a referral process through that. So that means that a Lincoln County who holds a lot of that disaster uh recovery individuals who are FEMA declared fire disaster displaced. So that process would go through the county, through the through the disaster recovery area. Gabby, if anybody knows Gabriella, she's the one in, but it's that's FEMA displaced, knows who I'm talking about. And so they would get a hold of her, she would do the referral to the property management company. The property management company gets a hold of the state. They have to ensure that truly this is a FEMA declared, certified individual. And then it would come back as yep, go ahead and proceed with the screening for those. For the individuals who are houseless but have generated income, that referral process would go through our Coastal Phoenix Rising facility who are already houseless and in the facility down the street. So we have been helping individuals who we already know have income, who are just waiting for housing and nothing is opening up. So we're already working with those. So we're hopeful that places like the Hope Center would be able to refer their individuals over to our shelter, and then that would again enable them to give the individuals information over to the property management company.

RR

It is a marvelous program. Now, is it just for singles or is it for couples or families or yeah?

Sheila Stiley

Another great question. These are tiny, they're 398 square feet. The max we can have is two people.

RR

Okay. Yeah. Describe the one of the units.

Sheila Stiley

Oh, well, first of all, they're beautiful. They're so cool. They really are.

RR

You know, I didn't drive past them.

Sheila Stiley

Yeah. Well, the uh the the kitchens and living room areas are just beautiful. They have a dishwasher, a full, they have a bigger refrigerator than I do in my house. They have a stove, the microwave, the whole nine yards. They have the complete package in it. Uh the bedroom is small, and that's that's the key thing. It's so tiny, like literally in the space that we're sitting right now, it's not even as wide as a space we're sitting in right now. So we're talking about bunk bed. You good luck with fitting a double. It's just a really small space. So you really are talking a single to double individuals.

RR

Do they come with all the furniture as well? Or okay?

Sheila Stiley

No. Full bathroom, though, too. So the bathroom's big. I mean, me, I would have enlarged the bedroom and shrunk the bathroom, but that's just me. But no, they're they they've got a really great space and they are HUD certified as little manufactured homes. So they're not tiny home RV rated, they're actually manufactured home HUD rated. So that means that they have a longer longevity, they pass the HUD rating. We got to get through the process a little bit quicker as well. So that was meaningful in regards to the energy if it's a lot of different.

RR

So who designed them?

Sheila Stiley

Well, Northwest Homes is who we work through. It's a skyline product.

RR

Okay.

Sheila Stiley

Mm-hmm. I don't know who designed them. That's a skyline product. So they they they mass produce when it when it comes to what they put together. And when it came to the tiny, that's how they ended up producing that one.

RR

And again, let's go back to the uh ribbon cutting that that you're gonna have for for this. And then you after that, uh, people can begin to apply, or are they already applying?

Sheila Stiley

Oh no, there's a wait list already going. Yeah, and they've been chomping at the bit. I told them get your wait list ready because as soon as we have the property management side of it lined up, you're gonna start sending that over. And so I just sent the information out. They've got their wait list ready and uh they've all been connected. So here we go. So March 6th, even though it's the ribbon cutting, does not mean that tenants will be moving in right away. It just means that we've got our certificate of occupancy for all of the units, the site of the city is ready to go, but it's not quite tenant ready. We have to go through, do the walkthroughs, and get them the final preparations done. So that's what we're in the phase of doing right now. I've gone through four, but and those are the homes that we'll be able to walk through. We'll be walking through the ribbon cutting, uh, get to view those. Um and then the other eight, we're still finalizing those details.

RR

So people will be renting them, not buying them, correct?

Sheila Stiley

Renting, correct. Now, an interesting fact on this is this is a 20-year program. And after 10 years, we have an agreement with the city that after the 10-year period of time, because when they deeded those two lots over to us, it was on a note and it's a forgivable loan. But after that 10-year period of time, that loan will be paid off, and then the church will have the right to say, okay, we're ready to go ahead and take it on, and we're ready to take it over, and then we hand it over. And that's very odd. Northwest Coastal Housing has stepped out in a way, we're not really accustomed to giving away land that we actually get to build on, but that's what we're doing because we we believe in getting people housed. But there's a 20-year criteria that the state has to maintain its affordability, so that's what the church has to commit to as well. So after the 20-year period of time, should they want to continue doing affordable housing, they can. Uh if they want to choose to expand their church, they can. They can do whatever they want.

RR

Sheila Style, Executive Director of Northwest Coastal Housing. Thanks for being here. We look forward to the ribbon cutting.

Sheila Stiley

Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate you so very much.

Jana

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RR

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RR

Servium Lincoln, Tillamook, and Yamhill County's Northwest Septic Service. Joining us on the Double R show is Terry Fader. And Terry, I don't know how in the world I'm going to interview a ventriloquist.

Terry Fator

It's so funny that people say that because really ventriloquism is no different than somebody who does voices. I mean, you know, it's like uh Edgar Bergen had a radio show as a ventriloquist for 30 years. And the reason is that he created these incredible characters and he did the voices. So it's kind of like Mel Blanc, you know. Mel Blanc before he did all of the cartoons that we know, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Ducks, he was a radio voice, and he would do sometimes eight and ten voices on a radio show. He did the Edgar Bergen show, he did the Charlie McCarthy show, he did, Jack Benny, and several other shows. And that's what got him into doing those cartoons. They heard all the different voices and sounds he was able to do. So it's not as weird as you think because uh, you know, like if I was to have one of my characters come up, right? You would feel like you were talking to two different people, but it's actually just me. You just wouldn't be able to see the puppet. Now, I could move my lips then, since we're on the radio. So but when I'm when I'm on stage, I don't move my lips.

RR

That's uh really interesting to me. Are you first and foremost a ventriloquist or a singer?

Terry Fator

You know, that's a really good question. What came first, the chicken or the egg? If it's what came first, I was a singer before I was a ventriloquist. I I started singing it too. I I I've been a singer since as long as I have memories. And I started ventriloquism when I was 10. And I was already, you know, uh doing the leads in musical theater in my school plays and in the church plays and and all kinds of things like that. So that was just something that I was always able to do. And I picked up ventriloquism, and the one of the first things I did was I started having my puppets sing songs. So uh I guess I'm I'm more of a singer, but I really I I kind of do it all. I'm a I'm a comedian in that you know, I my puppets are very funny, and I'm able to come up with funny quick ad libs right there in front of the audience if I need to. The jokes are really funny, so I'm a comedian. I'm also a ventriloquist, I've got puppets, and my mouth doesn't move, but I'm a singer and I'm an impressionist, and the puppets all do impressions of singers. So, really, it's I like to consider myself an all-around entertainer. Hard to kind of pigeonhole just one thing. I got I got very lucky. I got struck by the entertainment lightning about seven times, and most people get once, and I ended up just kind of getting an overwhelming blessing of uh talent from the good lord.

RR

Now, speaking of talent, uh, one of the main activities that you've been in is you won. America has got talent.

Terry Fator

Yes, I did, and believe me, no one was more surprised than me when I won the thing. Why so? You know, I I think it was did I feel like I did a performance that was worthy of winning? Yes, I I was very proud of my performance, but I gotta be honest with you, I just did not think that that America would ever vote a ventriloquist as the number one act in the country. Now it's happened two other times. There are three ventriloquists. We actually need to get one more ventriloquist in there so we can we're competing against magicians. Magicians have won four times, and ventriloquists have only won three. So we need and we need another great ventriloquist to win the show. But seriously, it's like uh it's really, I just did not think that America was ready to vote a ventriloquist as the best actor in the country. I'm glad I was wrong, but believe me, I was I was stunned. If you if you watch that, you can go to YouTube and just type in Terry Fader wins America's Got Talent. The look on my face, I am truly stunned. I I just I did not know what to do because I totally expected the other guy to win. I just had no plans of winning the show. And uh I mean I'm glad it did. It was just such a wonderful blessing to have won. And you know, my life has just been so amazing since then, but I was really enjoying my life even before that. So you know, I wasn't looking for that.

RR

It really took off from that point on, did it not, Jerry?

Terry Fator

Oh, oh gosh, it did. I mean, as soon as I won. I all I started getting calls from Las Vegas. I became the first uh headliner in Las Vegas history that had never played Vegas and was totally unheard of before I went in and did my first headlining show. Now there's been many because of me. I was I was a trail boat blazer, though. Every person that's there that has been on or won America's Got Talent is there because of me. So I'm very proud of that.

RR

Now you've uh primarily gone on the road. You don't play Vegas as much as you used to. I mean, you were at the Mirage, New York, New York, but you you're a road guy now, are you not?

Terry Fator

I am. You know, I did I was doing 150 to 200 shows a year from the moment I won America's Got Talent, and you know, starting in 2007. And I gotta tell you, after 18 years, I'm tired. I'm just, you know, show at every single day, and then still doing road shows. It was just I it was just too much. And uh so I have stopped my my full-time Vegas residency. I do come back maybe to do, you know, nine to twelve shows a year in Vegas, which I love doing, but I'm really more traveling, and that's why, you know, what's why I'm doing this interview, so we can uh talk about my upcoming shows.

RR

No, upcoming shows you're gonna be this weekend in Lincoln City at Sherlock's Casino Resort.

Terry Fator

We sure are, and man, I tell you what, it is a show to watch. It is so much fun. It is, let's say this, it's 20 years in the making. Ever since I won America's got talent, I've been putting been hoping and and dreaming of being able to put together a show this good. And it just reflects every emotion. You'll come in there, you'll laugh, you'll you'll feel, you know, uh uh nostalgic, you'll but you'll leave on a high. And if you just need to just forget about the world and forget about your problems and just become young again, you need to come and see my show.

RR

You travel a lot. You're gonna be in Lincoln City, you you've got uh shows upcoming in uh uh Delaware, in Utah. I mean, you're all over the country.

Terry Fator

Oh, yeah. We just got back from Minnesota, we just got back from Ohio and Pennsylvania, and I'm doing Niagara Falls in a month. You know, it I mean, yeah, I'm I'm really busy and loving every minute of it. But now I have actually have time to come in and enjoy the cities because you know, before I was having to do a show, take a red eye, sleep, do the show, take a red eye back to do my Vegas show. Now I can come in a day or two early, and my wife and I can just enjoy the uh the city and some wonderful local food, and and it's uh it's just the best time I've ever had in my life.

RR

Well, welcome to Lincoln City, Terry. We appreciate you coming here, and we look forward to seeing you on stage with a number of your special guests.

Terry Fator

Oh, it'll be worth the time. It'll be worth your money and your time, believe me. And it is written for the adult intellect, but it is a family type show. If kids are allowed, they'll love it. But just remember there are some double entendre jokes the kids shouldn't get, but you adults are going to be laughing, belly laughing at them.

RR

I'll see you on stage.

Terry Fator

All right. I'll be there and I'll see you in the audience.

RR

And of course, uh, we got Parks and Reck on Wednesday, March 18th at 2:30, and uh City Council again on March 23rd. They have two meetings each and every month. So lots of uh activities for you to be involved in, attend, and give thanks to these people that are volunteering their time, Paul.

Son Paul

Right, yeah, the uh council and people on commissions and you know different boards, and yeah, it's it's a lot of work. It's all giving. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah.

RR

It's all giving. There's no money to be made. Taft Kawanas and Rotary uh uh will sponsor a professional day March 17th up at Taft High School for TAF 7 through 12. This is gonna be 10 to 11:30. All sorts of business people from in and around the Lincoln City community will be participating, including you and I.

Son Paul

Yes, yeah. So just right before spring break, uh so on the 17th St. Patrick's Day, hopefully we'll get a good attendance up there as well.

RR

And it is critically important that uh these students uh get an opportunity to find out what individuals and what positions and careers are out there for them.

Son Paul

Yeah, and it changes too. You know, I think back to uh when I was graduating high school, there was no such thing as a watershed council, right? There was no such thing as uh doing that kind of natural resources work besides maybe being in forestry uh years later.

RR

That was cutting trees.

Son Paul

Right. That was not saving. That wasn't saving or saving salmon or the like. So yeah, the uh the job markets change. It's a nice event that they're putting on.

RR

And you uh also mentioned another special time here on the Oregon Coast spring break. Uh spring break uh for Oregon is gonna be March 23rd through the 27th, for up in Washington, uh April 6th through the 10th, and the 13th through the 17th of April. And for Idaho, we'll welcome those folks to the Oregon Coast March 16th through the 20th. Spring break does sound good.

Son Paul

You're gonna see a lot of California plates too, though. So there's gonna be some folks coming north. Uh you'll even see some folks from BC and Alaska, you know. I mean, it's all all of a sudden it's like summer weather for them at 55 degrees.

RR

So Welcome to the Oregon Coast. We hope you enjoy your stay and you'll tell your friends and neighbors and come back real well. Yeah, yeah. Uh the Cultural Center is gonna have a marvelous activity for spring break, and this is the Festival of Illusions. Starts Sunday, March 22nd, goes all the way through March 27th. Uh, you can stop at the Cultural Center and get more information on that. And again, our thanks to the people that do make a difference, and we heard from some of those people today on a double-hour show, uh, feeding people, housing people, and then entertaining people.

Son Paul

Yeah, yeah. So I was kind of curious how an interview with a ventriloquist would work on a podcast over the phone. So you'll have to go actually see him live at Chinook Winds Saturday to get the full uh feel and and deal with that. But yeah, it was quite a quite a fun interview.

RR

Well, ventriloquists are better at the beach.

Son Paul

That's right.

RR

You look at me just like, what did he say?

Son Paul

Well, I was waiting for you to put a word in my mouth. You were gonna do a ventriloquism call. I thought I did. No, here we go again. He's he's got me going then.

RR

And and who can uh refute it? Right. So I guess anything else you've said on the table?

Son Paul

No, we're clear from here at the things.

RR

All right, so that'll do the doings at a double R show. So remember to like, subscribe, and share so you, your family, and friends around the world and across the street can join us on a double R Show with Son Paul and Jenna of Double R. Have a happy day.

Jana

You've been listening to the Double R Show. Join Roger and Paul Robertson as they explore everything about North Lincoln County. The Double R Show produced by Always Productions and hosted by Roger Robertson. Have a story? Email contact at alwaysproductions.com or call four five eight two zero one three zero three nine. For the Double R Show, I'm Jana Gron.