Lunches for Learning

In August 2016, Phil Dodson, Executive Director of Lunches for Learning (L4L) spoke to the Rotary Club of East Cobb about children in Honduras who have so little they don't attend school because of spending their days searching for food. Lunches for Learning provides lunch at school so children can attend classes instead of having to find food.. An immediate buzz of interest surfaced and ultimately East Cobb Rotarian Joe Murphey traveled to Honduras with Phil to meet the students, parents, teachers and principal of Escuela Pedro Nufio in the village of El Rincon in southwest Honduras. The school serves 146 students from grades K through 9 including middle schoolers who walk three hours each way to attend class in the only middle school in the area. The lifeblood of this school is the lunch program provided by L4L, and the prior sponsor pulled out leaving L4L to support the school from its general funds which is an unsustainable situation.

East Cobb Rotarians are in DARE TO BE BETTER SERVING HUMANITY mode already having raised $1,200 toward assuming sponsorship for all or part of the Pedro Nufio School L4L program and formed a committee (10% of club members) to develop a special fundraising mechanism. This will be the club's first ever International Service project as an individual club; leading the way before grant funds are available and before other Rotary clubs have been invited and involved. Humanitarian need for feeding children to satisfy hunger of body, mind and future employment viability has drawn our commitment to action and implementation.