Vol 7-18-Nov 14 - Katanning Rotary Club

Monday, 14 November, 2011FIGHTING HUNGERRotary International District 7710Reaches Millionth MealLangley’s Gateway ofHope Shelter OfficiallyOpens its DoorsRotary International District 7710reached the million meal goal for itsRotarians Against Hunger initiativeon May 17, at a packaging event heldby the Cary Page Rotary Club at St.Paul’s Episcopal Church.The district packaged 1.4 millionmeals last year for the RotariansAgainst Hunger initiative."In addition to successfully reachingand even exceeding its mealpackaging goals for the last two years,Rotary District 7710 has created amodel that other districts in NorthCarolina and Virginia are seeking toreplicate.Stop Hunger Now can't thank theRotary members in District 7710enough for their leadership in the fightagainst hunger," said Rod Brooks,CEO, Stop Hunger Now.Rotarians Against Hunger:a partnership with Stop HungerNow to end world hunger in ourlifetimeHistory:Rotarians Against Hunger was formedin 2002 when Ray Buchanan,President of Stop Hunger Now and amember of the Raleigh Rotary Club,teamed up with Hal Smith of the EastChapel Hill Rotary Club.Hal’s original concept was tochallenge clubs to miss a meal andthen donate the money saved to feedthe hungry.Ray’s vision was to involve Rotariansin the fight to end hunger in our lifetime.The One Million Meals forChildren Project:This foundation of collaboration ledto an even more ambitious partnershipbetween Rotary District 7710and Stop Hunger Now.In the fiscal year, Tim Mannix,District Governor for RotaryDistrict 7710 located in centralNorth Carolina, challenged theRotary Club Presidents in thedistrict to collaborate with StopHunger Now to package one millionmeals through Stop Hunger Now’sOperation Sharehouse program.The club Presidents took on thechallenge and the One MillionMeals for Children Project wasinitiated.The project was very successful.In one year 1,850 Rotarianspackaged just under 1.4 millionmeals that were shipped to supportschool lunch feeding programs inHaiti, Ghana, Bolivia andGuatemala.This enormous achievement wasaccomplished by more than 6,000community volunteers whocontributed approximately 14,000volunteer hours during 24 mealpackaging events.The program was so successful inits first year that District GovernorBarry Phillips committed topackaging another million meals inthe coming fiscal year.The Salvation Army’s Gateway of Hope, amodern, state of the art facility for thehomeless and at-risk population inLangley, B.C., Canada, officially opens itsdoors today, November 27.The three-storey development provides 30emergency shelter beds and 25 supportiveindependent living transitional bedsfor the homeless or those at risk of homelessnessin the community.But the facility offers more than shelter.Clients will benefit from:A daily meal centre that serves sevenmeals a week. It is expected that morethan 75,000 meals will be served eachyear.Counselling services where, in partnershipwith Trinity Western University, masterslevel counselling is available for Gatewayguests and Langley residents.A chef training program that will see morethan 20 men and women graduate fromthe program each year.The hospitality server training programwhere men and women are trained forimmediate employment placement in thefood service industry.The building service worker trainingprogram where men and women aretrained as custodians.The Salvation Army thanks the Federal,Provincial and Municipal levels ofgovernment, as well as countless otherprivate, corporate and group donations forfunding and a shared vision that will helpindividuals regain their independence inthe community.The City of Langley Mayor PeterFassbender says: “The Gateway of Hopewill go a long way towards providing aneffective long-term solution to the issue ofhomelessness in our community.”Gateway of Hope is supported by RotaryClubs in British Columbia.Rotary Club of Katanning Page 11