Age isn’t a number, it’s a feeling and boomers have it all figured out, right? So give them a touch of class, a bit of fun and a little vino and they’ll be just fine around that wild grandchild on Christmas morning!
Special Issues & Guides
Posted inLocal News
Navigating a Sober World
New Each Morning provides women the support needed after a recovery program
Gina has been fighting alcohol addiction for decades. “I realized, wow, I’m drinking to get drunk. I’m drinking to black out,” she says. She was arrested four times within 10 years for driving under the influence, resulting in her losing her driver’s license for 10 years. She spent time in jail, lost several jobs, even tried rehab —which didn’t work. Her mother, daughters and […]
Posted inLocal News
Hope by the Plateful
Family Kitchen has provided daily warm meals and “sanctuary” to hungry Central Oregonians since 1986
On Halloween Day, the bustle of the Family Kitchen was at peak crescendo during lunch time. Eighties club music mixed with the clack of utensils as two dozen diners spread across rows of communal tables. A father and young child played Scrabble while noshing on homemade pizza squares. Others spooned chili, sipped coffee and chatted. […]
Posted inLocal News
Diversability, Inc. Creates Connection for Those With Disabilities
Local “Happyning Hub” offers fun, friendship and personal growth
The first thing to know about Diversability: Its name is the word the nonprofit would prefer people use when referring to those with varying disabilities. “Disability” refers to something someone cannot do, while “diversability” indicates that someone’s abilities are, instead, diverse. The founding of Diversability, Inc was a labor of love. Founder Amanda Hamer started […]
Posted inLocal News
Central Oregon Gives 2025
Tracking the good news from Central Oregon’s nonprofits in 2025
In honor of this week’s Give Guide, the Source team spent some time exploring the stories of a few local nonprofits. Click the images below to read each story. View complete list of nonprofits inside the Give Guide
Posted inCentral Oregon Pets
A Cat Gets a Second Chance at Life
How a local cat named Sushi found her way from struggle to snuggle
It was a sunny day in June 2023 when Sushi, an eight-year old-smoky calico, was brought into Feline Fine Cat Clinic in south Bend. Sushi had been aggressively biting her own tail, which veterinarians recognized as a sign of dental disease. After several appointments with the clinic, Sushi’s owners decided they preferred euthanization as they […]
Posted inCentral Oregon Pets
Building Community, One Gecko at a Time
Meet the Redmond shop owner transforming fear into fascination
After more than a decade of hands-on reptile breeding and care, owner of High Desert Geckos, Samantha Weist, has turned a childhood passion into a thriving small business. What began as a hobby breeding crested geckos has evolved into a downtown Redmond storefront teeming with snakes, arachnids, lizards and more. In a field largely dominated […]
Posted inCentral Oregon Pets
A Place to Call Home
Second Chance is a sanctuary for unwanted parrots
Donna Costley says that back when she decided to start a bird rescue operation in 2012, she didn’t even like birds. “I hated birds. My mom had parakeets,” Costley recalls. However, one of her sons, Jon, got into birds first and brought his mother along, under his wing, so to speak. And since then, Second […]
Posted inCentral Oregon Pets
Unleashing Happiness with Off-Leash Dog Hikes
The story of Ponderosa Paws
Travis Fuller didn’t set out to build a booming dog-walking business in Bend. But thanks to a stoic old sled dog named Mutt — and a little trial and error — he ended up creating something special. Since 2016, Ponderosa Paws has grown into a go-to for off-leash dog hikes, thanks to Fuller’s deep connection […]
Posted inCentral Oregon Pets
Central Oregon Pets Fall 2025
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” —Anatole France, French poet. A study released in September found that 51% of Oregon pet owners say their dog will come when called. That means just about half, which includes my dogs, basically run the show. The percent drops to 13% for […]