Thanks to all who attended our weekly lunch meeting on Wednesday. Jacqueline Payne’s presentation, “How to Grow Food is Small Spaces” informed us about an innovative and creative way to produce fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. It was interesting to hear how urban restaurants are using this concept to provide the freshest produce possible (even in the winter months!) AND how schools are using this to create academic experiences for children!
Diane Donaher presented a slide deck that reminded us of the importance of our Outreach Hunger initiative. Unfortunately, food insecurity (not having reliable access to enough affordable and nutritious food) is happening in our very own community. I was shocked to learn that there are 13 food pantries and 4 soup kitchens in the 18015 and 18018 zip codes alone!
Know that you can help. Saturday, March 9th at Moravian College, our club will be partnering with four other Area 2 Rotary Clubs (Saucon, Easton, Morningstar and Nazareth) to assemble 40,000 meals to donate to LOCAL food pantries. This project, Outreach Hunger, is a great collaboration of Rotarians and is supported by our District through a district grant. But it takes people to make it happen, and that is where you can get involved! Come volunteer… bring a friend… bring a child…. expose others to the great work we do! Open positions are as follows:
- 7:30AM – 9:00AM – Set Up (2)
- 9:00AM – 10:30AM – Assembly Line (0) - FULL
- 10:30AM – Noon – Assembly Line (2)
- Noon – 1:30PM – Assembly Line (10)
- 1:30PM – 2:30PM – Clean Up (2)
IMPORTANT: Please e-mail Diane Donaher with your preferred shift(s). This event is just one week away, so we need to fill these slots quickly!
Emmaus Rotarian Alicia Ruiz Orbin also provided a pep talk for the upcoming District Conference. Alicia reminded us that:
- The District Conference is LOCAL this year, right here in the Lehigh Valley (Renaissance Hotel in Allentown)…. No overnight hotel stays necessary!
- It is “ala carte”… you can attend some or all of the conference and only pay for what you attend.
- There is a benefit concert! Craig Thatcher will be performing the Eric Clapton Retrospective and ALL proceeds from the concert get redistributed back to our clubs to support hunger related projects!
Each week I include the registration link in this newsletter, so please take the small amount of time it takes to click and get registered!
A special thank you to Paul Ricciardi who simply would not let the Dictionary Project die! Paul has stepped up and will lead the charge, and Dave Erickson has agreed to help and keep this meaningful project going. Thank you Paul and Dave!!
Lastly, thanks to Rich Sharpe, Ray Malec, Roger Whiteley, Jack Worsley, Paul Ricciardi and potential new member Zach Smith for joining me at the DropKick meeting at Taps Tavern Thursday night. I encourage you to mark your calendars for the 4th Thursday of each month and join the fun!
Come to our meeting this week where we will be hearing from several recipients of grants from our own foundation. Come see how we are making a difference in our community!! We will also be inducting some new members, so please come and show your support!
Some reminders:
- Area 2 Outreach Hunger Event. It will be held Saturday, March 9th at Moravian College. We will need LOTS of volunteers, so please mark your calendars now, since that will be here before we know it! This is part of a district grant match, so please help to support this event… we will be assembling over 40,000 meals for local agencies.
- Be sure to get registered for the District Conference. This year it will be held in Allentown at the Renaissance Hotel at 7th and Hamilton. It will be held over the weekend of May 3rd, 4th and 5th. Know that you can register in an “ala carte” fashion taking in as much or as little of the conference as you schedule permits. Here is the link to view the event and get registered… District Conference Registration
- Strike Out Hunger is back! Thanks to Gerry and Jill long for leading the charge. They are looking for 3 volunteers to assist them in coordinating this event which will be held on August 15th vs the Chicago Cubs. Celebrate the Phils landing Bryce Harper and get involved!
