Every Thursday the Rotary Club of Wilmington meets at the Hotel du Pont to discuss ongoing business and upcoming events. One recent meeting, however, was devoted to the Stop Hunger Now effort to feed hungry children in Haiti.
Stop Hunger Now coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid to Third World countries. Through its on-hands packaging program, volunteers bundle highly nutritious meals to be sent where they are needed, says Wilmington Rotary member Anne Rowan-Pebley.
Over the course of one hour, each member did his or her part to help build a “meal kit” that contained a vegetable product, rice, a vitamin and a soy product. The bags were then weighed, packed and sealed for shipping. Every time the club hit 1,000 kits, a gong sounded. In the end, Wilmington Rotary members packed more than 9,000 meals.
There are five areas of service for Rotary clubs, says Wilmington president Pam Cornforth. One of those areas is international service, so our club likes to engage in some type of service project at least biannually that fits within international service.
Several members called the event the best meeting of the year. “I am sure that we will be doing this in the future years to come, as it was a fantastic opportunity to give back in a small way,” Rowan-Pebley says.
