United Rotary Clubs of So. Oregon give last of Almeda Fire Fund to Talent winery

TALENT, Ore. — A Talent winery is getting some community support, after losing everything in the Almeda Fire. The Almeda Fire left Simple Machine Winery & Tasting Room with practically nothing. Over a year later, it’s now reopened, and Thursday it’s getting even more help, through extra funding.

The United Rotary Clubs of Southern Oregon have given thousands to local businesses to help them recover from the Almeda and South Obenchain fires. Simple Machine Winery was the final recipient of the program. It was presented with a $5,000 check.

The owners tell us it’s the first fire aid they’ve received through the process.

“We are just really really grateful. We were like a lot of people, very underinsured, the cost of construction was 40% more so pretty significant, now that we’re rebuilt we’re just excited to start the recovery,” said Co-owner, Clea Arthur.

The owners say the funds will go toward creating signs along I-5 to promote their business.

United Rotary Clubs of Southern Oregon gave out roughly $400,000 to over 160 small businesses with its fund.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
Skip to content