OKC Sunrise Rotary conducted a food distribution event on September 10th that involved 90% of all its available members! Thanks to a special Rotary food grant, the club shopped for a wide variety of groceries and held a sack-packing party such that 100 families each received three grocery bags of various foods and produce, plus a small box with milk, eggs, and cheese. Total value of goods exceeded $3,000. Gold Supporters of the Rotary project were the nonprofit Lynn Institute as well as a partner known as the Dream Center of Oklahoma City off S.W. 55th and Penn. The former donated some additional produce and the latter provided a venue and some other support. “Considering that so many families are food insecure these days due to the COVID-19 economic impact, it is great to see how Rotarians can be people of action on such a hands-on project to meet a local need,” said Larry Hopper, President of OKC Sunrise Rotary. People drove up to event after 5pm and Rotarians loaded the bags in the recipients’ cars and trucks. Some members of the South OKC Rotary also joined in.
In other news, the OKC Sunrise also did a service event for the Infant Crisis Services on August 27 at which people dropped off baby supplies to an outdoor social gathering of the Club. In October, the Club is sponsoring a three-hour training virtual session put on by Possibilities, Inc. for Rotarians, and the purpose is how to put on a “racial healing coffee.” While the training by Rotarian Byron Jackson is not meant to fully equip a layperson on facilitation of all types of community reconciliation, it is designed to help a team of Rotarians to go out to help a group or community get to a safe “place” (situation) to initiate productive conversations on race and intercultural issues.
