AWRC Service Projects - Annual Report June 2014
AWRC SERVICE PROJECTS
Annual report – June 2014
The AWRC Club Service Committee has had a very busy year with our numerous projects. The two main projects now are the Snack Pack project and the Lowhill Food Pantry support.
Snack Pack program … We started the program at Northwestern Lehigh School District in October, 2013 and served 40 students twice a month thru February. In March we increased to 52 students twice a month but in May had three deliveries. We distributed 722 Snack Packs at Northwestern for this past School year.
The Lowhill Food Pantry partnered with us on this project as they paid for one filling a month.
Parkland’s Snack Pack program originally was to begin in January of 2014. Snow storms and school cancellations prevented this from happening. So the program didn’t start until March at which time we supplied 40 students twice a month with Snack Packs. From April to the end of the school year, we increased the number to (80) students. A total of 560 Snack Packs were distributed at Parkland.
Letters looking for financial partners for this program have been sent to other service clubs, churches, and businesses.
This amazing program that provides food and other items to needy students over the weekends has been made possible by two District Grants awarded to the Allentown-West Rotary Club and funds from our club Foundation. A similar District Grant has been approved to support the 2014-15 academic year.
Lowhill Food Pantry In this Rotary year we collected $2,940. With that money we purchased 10,178 lbs. of fresh produce and groceries, along with socks and towels for the Blessings Room.
The giving for the project this year was over $1100. more than last year. With Amos Burkholder’s generosity of sharing his excess produce at a reduced rate, we gave over 8,100 more lbs. of food this year, most of which was fresh locally grown produce.
Another BIG THANK YOU goes out to the Rotarians and their spouses who schedule themselves to work the Food Pantry. Consider volunteering, even if it is only once. You will see firsthand what our Club is doing for this need in the community.
Meals on Wheels On Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2013, we had 15 club members help deliver a hot meals and a bag lunch to homebound, physically challenged people, on nine different routes throughout Lehigh County.
On Presidents’ Day, February 17, 2014 we were scheduled to help again with the deliveries, but due to the bad weather that was anticipated, the Coordinator of Volunteers felt it best, for the safety of our members NOT to come out.
This is such a worthwhile and gratifying project. It just takes about 2 hours of your time, over the lunch hour. You do go out on a route with another person, one drives, while the other delivers the meals. There are over 30 routes to cover.
Purple Pinkie 5K Run/Walk . This event supports Rotary’s world-wide work to eradicate the disease Polio. It was held at DeSales University in November 2013 and was conducted by the DeSales Rotaract Club studenst. Approximately 10 Club members and family ran or walked along with 8 Interact Club students. $610 was donated to Polio Plus through this effort.
Park Cleanup: With our stellar crew of enthusiastic Rotarians, last Fall we did mulching, pruning, and weeding at Ontelaunee, having a successful day.
This past Spring we again had a successful day of mulching, pruning , and weeding at Ontelaunee.
At Rodale Park this Spring it was just mulching, and lots of it, but with experienced landscape maintenance men from Allentown West Rotary, we made short work of it, indeed.