 Program - Midwest Food Bank - Marilee Baptiste Bob started by saying the the first service project he participated in after joining Mesa West Rotary was a project at Midwest Food Bank. Eric, who had just stepped down from a position with Midwest Food Bank was a close friend of Dr. Blessman. The Trilogy community where Bob lives has participated in volunteer work at the food bank as well. Because the facility is located on the south side of Baseline Road, they are actually in Gilbert, but when they look out their windows, they are looking at Mesa. Midwest Food bank started in 2003. They have been in Arizona since 2017. Marilee had worked for twenty-three years with Vanguard. During her 23-year tenure with them, she did volunteer work at a variety of nonprofits. When she happened on Midwest Food Bank, she was attracted to it because they allowed parents to bring their children so do volunteer work together. That was something she wanted to do . She had more than once thought maybe she could work for a nonprofit one day. When Midwest was looking for help, she felt like she was being shown what she should do. She was hired by them in February 2020. One month later the pandemic happened increasing the food needs in communities everywhere.  Marilee was very open about her own sense of the "Holy Spirit" in this place. Eric and the other founders are all very faith based. They have a culture of teamwork which is very positive and encouraging. It was interesting how Midwest Food Bank started. Two farmers in Illinois who were brothers had feed sacks stored. When Hurricane Katrina hit, they met with the Salvation Army. They loaded up and delivered some food sacks. The Salvation Army asked for ten more loads. After putting out a plea, 167 loads of food and supplies were delivered. The brothers had 8th grade educations and had a firm belief that "Only God could do this." They have been in Arizona six years. They are also in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kenya and Haiti. From the Arizona facility, they freely donate to California, Utah, and sometimes as far away as Washington. There has been tremendous growth in a short amount of time. In 2022, the value of the food distributed system wide was $415,000,000. In Arizona, the value was $41,000,000. They did that out of a 25,000 square foot warehouse with a $1,000,000 budget. They give food to other organizations. They serve 265 nonprofits. 1/3 of them are in Mesa. Because they are not government-funded they have flexibility that makes it easier for them to do more. Much of the food they distribute is given to them. It comes in bulk quantities that would otherwise be going to a landfill. They receive food from Kellogg's, Texaco, Target, and Amazon to name a few. Some members remembered recently shoveling corn flakes into smaller bins so the flakes could be repackaged into serving-size bags. Those flakes would have been waste otherwise. They do what they do with very few paid employees and tons of volunteers. She said last year 6700 volunteers provided 60,000 volunteer hours. Across the US 2200 non-profits are served. It is a simple application process. Where is the food going? Who will they be serving? What are the demographics of those to be served? The non-profits pick u the food from them. They pick it up in everything from cars to semi's. What they can provide depends on what is available. When emergency needs arise, they can usually be met through their network. Tender Mercy meals are created to feed a family a nutritious meal easily by just adding hot water. Those meals are produced at a cost of twenty-five cents per meal. Marilee talked about Hope Packs. Some kids who get free breakfast and lunch at school may not be that fortunate on holidays and weekends. Hope Packs are weekend bags. $50/year will sponsor hope packs for a child. They try to operate displaying the fruits of the spirit: Faithfulness, Peace, Goodness, Joy, Love, Kindness, Self-Control, Patience and Gentleness. Shared purpose provided a good operating mentality during the pandemic. The opportunity for kids to help is a huge benefit for families. Doing good together rarely has a bad outcome. There are opportunities for groups of individuals to volunteer there to learn some work place skills. She spoke of some steps: pray, volunteer, follow, connect, donate - $1 donation will provide $30 in food. They own all of their equipment. They own 3 semi's. They do fundraising when they need to buy equipment.  Update on Preparation for 2023-24 Rotary Year for Mesa West - Colleen Coons As President-Elect, Colleen is being inundated with information. Much of it is information that needs to be shared. Excellent training will be available for incoming club leaders. Information was on the tables so interested members would know what what being offered. Because Logan Harper was elected to be President-Elect in 2023-24, the second year of his two-year director term needed to be filled. Allan Cady has been elected by Colleen's 2023-24 board to fill that vacancy. Education is one of the things Rotary Districts are charged with providing. The Club Leadership Academy, the District Budget for 2013-14 will be voted on at that educational event - Club Leadership Academy provides task oriented education
- Rotary Leadership Institute provides information about Rotary beyond the club level
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Kickoff of Sponsorship Campaign - Allan Cady
This is a REALLY big year for Mesa West.
Mesa West Rotary Foundation, Inc. is the funding and fundraising arm of our own Mesa West Rotary Club. It is a 501(c)(3) charity. We have had successful sponsorship campaigns the last few years enabling us to spend our energy on service rather than on holding fundraising events. Charitable grants that we get involved with are funded through our charitable foundation, Our signature Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas Mexico is funded through this foundation. Scholarships are awarded annually to Westwood High School Students (the high school where Mesa West Rotary sponsors an Interact Club). Funds are used to support a variety of activities in four of the Rotary Avenues of Service:.png)
