Silver Rail Elementary School’s students, families, teachers, and staff are facing grief and uncertainty after the October 15 shooting in Bend. As the school community works toward returning to learning, we want to help with the needs that lie ahead. That Oregon Life is launching Kindness Matters: Oregon Stands With Silver Rail, a fundraiser benefiting Silver Rail Elementary PTO.

From October 24 through December 31, 2026, we’ll contribute $1 per eligible bag of Crater Lake Sunrise coffee sold and $1 per eligible Oregon calendar sold. Those contributions come from That Oregon Life at no extra cost to customers. Refunded items do not count.

You can also help without purchasing anything. The PTO’s direct donation page is available to anyone who would prefer to give directly. Both options support a school community that deserves continued care in the weeks and months ahead.

Keeping Silver Rail’s community at the center

Bend Police confirmed that three children and teacher Megan Lambert were killed in the October 15 attack. A fourth child and educator Becky Drury were wounded. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families mourning loved ones, those recovering from injuries, and everyone whose life has been changed by what happened at Silver Rail.

We began covering the shooting as the first reports emerged. Since then, the school community has had to face questions about how and when children can return to learning. In its October 23 update, Bend-La Pine Schools said Silver Rail would remain closed the following week, October 26 through 30, and that no return date had been decided.

The district said cleaning, repairs, and restoration began after police released the building on October 20. It is also working with families on a return-to-learning plan. The Boys and Girls Club has extended 150 weekday child care openings to Silver Rail families while school is closed.

Why this is personal to me

I’m Tyler, the founder of That Oregon Life, and I’m a father. I grew up in Thurston and was 15 when the May 21, 1998 shooting happened at Thurston High School in Springfield. The first person shot was someone I’d known since kindergarten. Many of the students affected were kids I’d grown up with.Many of those people, I still know today, and have been forever scarred.

I had left Thurston a few months earlier to attend a high school diploma program at Lane Community College. I wasn’t in the cafeteria when the shooting happened. But Thurston was still my home community, and the people hurt that day were people I knew. I wrote about that experience last year, including what it means to be a parent carrying those memories.

I moved back to the area in 2024. That connection is part of why I want That Oregon Life to offer practical support to Silver Rail. I won’t pretend to know what each family in Bend is feeling. I do want them to know that people elsewhere in Oregon care about what comes next for their children and their school.

What the fundraiser will support

Silver Rail Elementary PTO has told us the funds will support students, teachers, and the school community as they meet needs, restore a sense of safety, and work toward returning to school. We’re directing our contributions to the PTO so it can respond to those needs. We aren’t assigning the money to a particular purchase or promising a specific outcome.

On its website, the PTO reminds supporters that its leaders are parents navigating their own grief while continuing their work for the school. It also shares the school’s motto: “Kindness Matters.” We chose that phrase for this campaign to honor the words Silver Rail’s own community is holding onto.

Our Oregon calendar and brand-new coffee

We’ve been making our Oregon calendar for 10 years, sharing photographs from contributors who know and love this state. The 2027 That Oregon Life wall calendar continues that tradition with twelve Oregon photographs, one for each month. It’s a way to keep a little of Oregon close, whether you hang it in your kitchen, office, or somewhere far from home.

Our delicious Crater Lake Sunrise coffee is brand new. It’s a smooth, whole bean medium roast made with 100% Arabica beans from Brazil and Honduras, roasted fresh to order in Lincoln City, Oregon. You’ll find tasting notes of honey, chocolate, hazelnut, and a bright hint of strawberry, all from the coffee itself, with no added flavorings.

Two ways to stand with Silver Rail

If you’d like to participate through an eligible purchase, start at our fundraiser page. It links to Crater Lake Sunrise coffee and the Oregon calendar. Our contribution is $1 for each eligible item sold during the campaign, rather than a percentage of sales or a donation of all proceeds or profits. For example, two eligible coffee bags would generate a $2 contribution from That Oregon Life, provided neither is refunded.

If you’d rather donate directly, go to Silver Rail Elementary PTO’s donation page. The PTO handles those payments through its own donation options. There’s no purchase requirement, and you can choose the amount that works for you. Please give only in a way that fits your circumstances.

You can also share the fundraiser or the PTO’s donation link with someone looking for a way to help. We’re keeping our campaign open through December 31 to give readers time to participate beyond the first days of news coverage. Thank you for keeping Silver Rail’s students, families, teachers, and staff in your thoughts and prayers, and for considering a contribution to their school community.

Stand With Silver Rail or donate directly to Silver Rail Elementary PTO.