OSBURN — December wasn’t an easy month for Shoshone County. Wild weather brought floods, downed trees and property damage, and then a shooting in downtown Wallace made the holidays anything but merry and bright. 

To help the community start 2026 on a positive note, Silver Valley CARES is hosting a free Community Resiliency Dinner. 

“The idea behind the dinner really came from Darrell Lemieux and I listening to the community,” CARES member Jenna Grant-Arthun said. “Over the past several months, people here have dealt with a lot in a relatively short amount of time. Even when events are different in nature, they all take a toll, especially in a small community where everyone feels it in some way.” 

Grant-Arthun said the dinner won’t focus on recent events, but instead will provide a low-pressure space for neighbors to reconnect and share a meal. 

For Lemieux, who runs the Silver Valley Senior Meals program in Shoshone County, the dinner is a chance to give back to a community that has supported his program through lean times. He lives by the motto: It’s better to give than to get — and he’s excited to return the favor. 

“The reason that we're willing to go beyond is because each and every month our community helps us through tough times,” he said. “They may not know they’re tough times, but we may not have enough money, or may not have enough food, but they're always here for us. So why wouldn't I try to support my community? The Lord supplies whatever I need, and obviously he put me in a position where I can give back to our community. Things are tough all over, but we're here in the valley. I need to put those people back on the top of the mountain instead of in the valley.” 

Local law enforcement, first responders, and other community leaders will also attend. Grant-Arthun hopes sharing a meal with them will be both humanizing and healing. 

“Sometimes just sitting down together does more than anything formal ever could,” she said. “There won’t be speeches or programming, and people are welcome to come and go as they please. Our goal is to offer something grounding and familiar during a time when a lot has felt unsettled.” 

The Community Resiliency Dinner will be held Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Osburn Senior Center, 726 E. Mullan Ave., from 4 to 6:30 p.m.