WYE MILLS — Over 335,000 fully fortified meals were distributed to local food pantries this week by Rotary District 7630, which comprises Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This was a “Rotary Day of Service” with Meals of Hope where 39 clubs packed meals in five locations around the district with all meals staying locally to fight food insecurity. There were many non-Rotarians that volunteered to help along with Interactors, Rotaract members and Rotary club members. The funds to buy the ingredients provided by Meals of Hope came from Rotary clubs, local community foundations and individuals.
Eight of those local Rotary clubs from the mid-shore area came together inside the auxiliary gymnasium at Chesapeake College, Saturday, Oct. 16, to pack a large portion of Meals of Hope for families in need in the immediate area. The eight Rotary clubs, which were from Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester counties, packed 100,000 of the dry good meals into boxes.
The Rotary Club of Easton, sponsored 50,000 of those meals by itself in celebration of their recent 100th anniversary of existence.
This is not the first time local Rotary’s have had such events. According the Kent Island Rotary President Brad Lundberg, “We did a much smaller project with the Interact Club at Kent Island High School three years ago. (Interact Club in high schools follow the service patterns of Rotary International). In past years, the food has been sent overseas to third world countries, or prepared for emergency situations from natural disasters to send food to those locations in times of need. This time, all the foods are being distributed to local food banks and food pantries.”
Lundberg continued, “The food pantries have told us they’re not in dire need right now, but we all know that will change over the next two months, as prices continue to increase, not only at stores, but especially rising gasoline prices, fuel oil prices, etc. The need will come. All of the foods are packaged with expiration dates and directions on how to cook the foods. Most of the foods last up to a year, and some last up to two-years.”
Lundberg concluded, “We were all very pleased with the turnout of volunteers this past Saturday.” The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self”.