Labor gives back for holidays
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Union members from throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley gave back to their communities through the 76th Annual Holiday Party, sponsored by the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter.
Hundreds of kids and their families packed the Historic Elsinore Theatre in downtown Salem to receive a bag full of treats, visit with Santa Claus and watch Polar Express on the big screen.
“We live here and work here in the Mid-Valley, so we want to make a positive impact here. It’s an honor to carry on 76 years of tradition via the holiday party,” said Stacy Yelton, CLC chair and vice president of Woodburn Chapter 25.
More than 350 people came to the annual event, which started in 1940. Les Kaltenbach, a retired machinist and Teamsters member, has been volunteering at the party since 1978.
“Seeing the kids, a lot of whom don’t have a lot, to see their faces really warms your heart,” he said.
Teresa Rasmussen, a staffer with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, said she made it a priority to volunteer for this particular event.
“It’s my obligation as a delegate to the central labor chapter — you’re supposed to do things like this,” Rasmussen said. “It’s a responsibility to give back.”
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