WEEK OF APRIL 22, 2020

COVID 19 and Rotary

Greetings fellow Rotarians. So far there has been no shortage of information and inspiring stories about Rotary Clubs taking up the challenge to assist fellow community members during this crisis. Recently, members of the Silloth Rotary Club in Cumbria (located in northwest England) have been volunteering to pack and deliver support parcels for those who need them The packs contain essential items like hygiene products, toilet rolls, and food as well as items like puzzles and books. This is just one of many examples of Rotarians continuing to serve their communities when their help is needed the most.

Charities Update

At this time, the Club will be limiting its spending to requests that help those with immediate needs for food, water and shelter during these trying times. Due to the high likelihood that our fundraisers will generate far less money than usual for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, we also want to preserve as much of our charitable funds as possible to carry over from the current fiscal year to the next. We will be updating members about the causes we support and the status of our charitable funds in the next few weeks. In the meantime, Rotarians are encouraged to reach out to the Board and the Club in general with ideas on how our Club can help those in our community.

Amazon Smiles Program

As more of us are utilizing the services of Amazon, Members are encouraged to take part in the AmazonSmile program. Through this program, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to our charities account. To take advantage of this opportunity, please visit https://smile.amazon.com/ch/03-0348126 and sign up!

Heavenly Pantry Food Shelf

Sharon Dettenrieder asks that members spread the news that the Heavenly Food Pantry is relaxing its rules on one visit per month to the pantry. Any and all families living in Essex, Essex Junction and Westford are welcome to attend each time the pantry is open. Families are asked to not arrive prior to 1:30pm to avoid blocking Church Street. Those wishing to donate to the food pantry may send a check noted “food pantry” to The First Congregational Church, 1 Church Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Donated food items can be left inside the Church Street office door Tuesday-Friday 9:00a.m.-noon or in the bin outside the office entrance when the door is locked. The food pantry is also looking for volunteers to assist with providing curbside service. People who fall in the vulnerable category, however, are asked to please hold off on volunteering until the health threat subsides. Please contact Associate Pastor Josh Simon at jsimon@fccej.com for more details on how you can help.

Upcoming plans for the next few weeks – The newsletter will still be distributed each week to provide our members with any updates on our Club and Rotary in general. In the meantime, please stay safe.

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at rotaryclubofessex.org Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary , on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/essexvermontrotary/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essex_rotary

Yours in Rotary,

Jason Ruwet