Feed the Children

When the final school bell rings on a Friday afternoon and the next week is a break on the school district schedule, thousands of students who are in the free and reduced breakfast and lunch program are at risk of being hungry. To address this need the Rotary Club of East Cobb partnered with McClesky YMCA (location for our Dog Days Run) in feeding students at the Dwell Communities (residence for many of the Brumby Elementary School students in our School Mates project) for designated days during the first semester breaks of the school year on September 29, November 22 and December 28, 2016. Club members donated food and prepared 50 to 60 sack lunches at the office of a club member located near the apartment community being served. On all three occasions, club members donated enough food for the day's sack lunches plus extra in support of another lunch day or to feed seniors in need.

One team of Rotarians prepared sack lunches with a sandwich, fruit, water and dessert, then another team of Rotarians delivered the lunches and interacted with the children, including drawing and painting activities and in December letting each child select a toy from a gift table. In some cases it was hard to tell who was having the most fun - the children or the Rotarians.

Thirty-seven East Cobb Rotarians (56% of club members) plus a few family members participated in the hands-on part of this project while at least 50% of club members donated food for preparing the lunches. We know from conversations with the children that food items often are shared with other family members and/or some of the food gets saved for dinner so lunch bags are filled as full as possible. We have no doubt about this project SERVING HUMANITY.