Work Day at Bath Area Food Bank
Posted
on May 03, 2016
This past Saturday, April 30 from 10a to 2p, Bath Sunrise Rotary had a work day at the Food Bank to assemble the fresh produce display stand, stocked and cleaned shelves, organized the stock, fixed the vacuum and cleaned the front lobby. The club bought 2 new freezers to replace the oldest ones, along with a new printer for the office in the past few months. In conjunction with the Food Bank Executive Director, they have set up a replacement schedule for the rest of the 11 units between 9 and 30 years old over a ten year period. Annually they will hold a fundraiser identifying the Food Bank identified as the recipient. A portion of the proceeds will go to the purchase of at least one unit a year. This year’s proceeds from Mayfair 2016 (May 7) are earmarked for one more freezer.The Rotary Club of Bath Sunrise received a $3500+ grant last year for their project to assist the Bath Area Food Bank. The goal of this project is to help the Bath Area Food Bank in executing a plan to create the "Model" Food Pantry "Supermarket" that can be duplicated by other organizations. The Food Bank is in the process of physically transforming into a place where clients choose the items they want in each food category rather than being given a box of food. This has led to less waste and a better experience for the recipients. The project includes the building and installation of a fresh produce storage and display unit. Club members will also do the maintenance of existing shelf units and perform one day of maintenance annually for the Food Bank.
The Bath Area Food Bank is, directly and indirectly, involved with the Food Pantry, Soup Kitchen, Mobile Food Pantry, Food Pantry at Morse High School located in the school library, Middle School Backpack Program and assistance to homeless teens. The Food Pantry provides food for over 200 families a month. In addition the high school pantry gets visited about 275 times a month. Up until recently the need was increasing at a 10% annual rate. With the cut in SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits they have noticed a substantial jump recently. The Bath Area Food Bank serves 200+ families per month, over 500 people, including homeless high school and middle school students who visit the Food Pantry at Morse High School.
The club is proud to say that ALL members of the club are involved in this project. Please visit www.facebook.com/bathsunriserotaryclub for more photos!