Gratitude abounds in lean year

Holly Center, right, TANF case manager, and Governor Kulongoski talk to a client at DHS SE Portland office Tuesday.

Thanksgiving traditions are plentiful at this time of year, but few as meaningful as the gratitude Oregonians express for the work of DHS.

Tuesday morning two important people made a visit to the DHS branch on SE 39th and Powell in Portland, the busiest branch in the state, where DHS processes one new food stamp application every nine minutes.

One of the visitors was Governor Kulongoski. He spent an hour with staff members, going around the office and listening to them talk about how they have been managing under the increased caseload in the branch. He was very interested in hearing about their experiences, how long they have been with DHS and what they like best about their work. He also met with clients who were there applying for much-needed assistance during the holiday season.

After the visit, Governor Kulongoski made a statement to the media. "I am very proud of the people working in this office," he said. "The state needs to be there for its citizens -- our family members, friends and neighbors -- in difficult times. We are a stronger, better state when we provide for each other in hard times."

The other important visitor to the branch that day was Tod Kromer. Tod is one of the thousands of clients who have turned to the state for help after facing long-term job loss. A computer programmer for more than two decades, he has not yet been able to find work after being laid off.

As Tod tells it, he expected to have to grit his teeth and get through a difficult, long and inhumane application process. In his words, that wasn't what happened at all. He was so surprised by the experience that he wrote a letter of thanks to the branch, which resulted in manager Carlos Richard inviting him to tell his story to the Governor himself.

Tod said, "I just wanted to tell someone how grateful I am..." for the help from DHS. He said like many people, he had preconceived ideas about "state assistance," and frankly, state employees. "Everyone was so nice and so helpful. I couldn't believe it when I came in and they asked if I wanted to meet with someone the same day," he said. "I expected to wait weeks."

Both the Governor and Tod went to great lengths to express their appreciation for the work of DHS. Indeed, meeting the Governor and hearing positive feedback from clients have made this Thanksgiving holiday even more meaningful to the staff of DHS.