Micah called the meeting to order and Julian led our prayer and pledge.
Announcements
- Our server Doris asked for prayer for her daughter’s lab results which are due back Wednesday. Her daughter had surgery for colon cancer. Today is also Doris’ birthday!
- Kelly Carlisle has agreed to be our new Treasurer in 2017-2018. Thank you Kelly for your willingness to serve!
- Paige Duffy (Pam Duffy’s daughter) is in the interview process for the outbound Rotary Youth Exchange program.
- Rotary Foundation ASK! – If you are planning to give $100 to the Rotary Foundation this year, it would be helpful if you could do so prior to our District Conference at the end of April.
- Our Reverse Raffle is this week. Tickets are available online, at the door or call Micah.
Happy $
- David Moore celebrated Duke’s ACC Championship win.
- Francois celebrated the Elon Women’s basketball team conference title.
Next Week’s Member Spotlight – Dick O’Donnell
Joseph Williams – Feed the Hunger
Joseph has been a Rotary member for five years and was born in Burlington. He has been married for 18 years and is kept in line by a 6th grader and a 9th grader.
New Directions was started in the late 1960’s by his father, J.L. Williams, as a cross-cultural ministry at the YMCA. It morphed into a traveling singing ministry and eventually became New Directions International with partners all over the world. Joseph took over the ministry ten years ago and two years later changed the name to Feed the Hunger to more accurately communicate the work of the ministry. Joseph’s father passed away in December of 2016 just a few days before his 75th birthday. His funeral was held on December 31st which was his birthday.
Feed the Hunger is a Christian based ministry that provides spiritual and physical food to needy people in many parts of the US and all over the world. They provide food to 8000 children overseas and distribute locally through the Salvation Army in Alamance County. Feed the Hunger also delivers food to 12 schools in Kentucky for a back pack program benefiting impoverished students.
There are three different meal options provided: soy and rice, beans and rice (non-GMO), and pasta and chicken. The food packets contain 20 essential vitamins and minerals for healthy nutrition and are FDA registered. The meals will usually serve as the only food for the day. Feed the Hunger provides 2.5-3M servings each year.
We were able to watch a video titled Follow the Food which tracked the food from preparation in the US to delivery in Jamaica, Haiti, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Iraq, Brazil, Moldova, and Honduras. Feed the Hunger will be taking a trip to Israel this year.
Feed the Hunger will host six Packathons this year in memory of Mr. Williams, Joseph’s father. One Packathon will be held in June at Holly Hill Mall. The food packed during this event will be sent to Iraq (and possibly Jordan) to help feed victims of ISIS. The Packathon in June would be a great event for Rotary to volunteer to help pack meals.
Thank you Joseph for the lives you are changing!
The meeting was adjourned and we all stood to recite the Rotary Four Way Test. Until next week…