District 7930 EndHungerNE Service Project on May 14th

Posted by David Gardner 
on Apr 13, 2016
 
On May 14th, District 7930 is hosting a special service project as part of the 2016 District Conference. With Governor Dave's introduction to the Homelessness and Hunger Initiative, it seemed to be a natural extension to incorporate a food packaging event on Saturday morning from 9:00-11:00 am. Join Rotarians, Interactors, Rotaractors and friends at the Nonprofit Center at 89 South Street in Boston for an amazing experience. EndHungerNE will be leading this project where we will work to End Hunger and Enrich Lives for those less fortunate than ourselves. District 7930 will be providing the initial investment to package 10,000 meals, either mac and cheese or rice and beans, but we need to get volunteers to actually perform the actual packaging. This event will create goodwill, provide meaningful service and possibly even attract new members. But most of all, it will just feel good! All of these meals will be distributed locally within our district so we will be able to have a very local impact on our communities.
 
Want to see what this operation is actually like and why you want to be part of it? Check out the video.
 
Although there is no cost to participate, donations can be made to help us package more meals can be made by clicking the donation page - Support District 7930 Conference Service Project. There will be transportation from the Route 95 and Route 93 corridors into Boston and back, or you can go from the service project to the Harvard Club and then back home in the afternoon or after dinner. You can register for the service project, other conference events and transportation once you are on the registration site.  Click here to register!
 
Outreach, Inc. is a nonprofit organization built through social entrepreneurship and the hard work of two Iowans, delivering food, water purification technology, medical care, and education to rural Tanzania. Outreach meals are provided to the hungry both internationally and in the United States.
 
Origin

In 2003 after retirement from successful business careers, Floyd Hammer and his wife Kathy Hamilton were invited to the village of Nkungi in Tanzania, East Africa to help a colleague add an AIDS hospice to a leprosy hospital in the village. Floyd and Kathy enjoyed the work but planned to return to the States and retirement once the project was finished. 
As the weeks passed, however, they saw the region had problems that went far beyond AIDS. Hunger was taking a tragic toll on the young; they watched in disbelief and horror as child after child died from starvation.

Kathy cried, “Floyd, we have to do something.  We cannot allow these children to die like this!” So the couple purchased two truckloads of maize and traded the grain for grass baskets made by the women in the village.  Kathy told the Mamas she would take the baskets to America, sell them and bring the money back to build a school for their children.  That idea - using the revenue earned through hard work and trade to pay for humanitarian relief - became the funding model for Outreach, Inc. and continues to this day.

With the immediate crisis averted, Kathy then asked the village leaders what they needed to make their villages sustainable. The leaders responded: safe water, food, medical care, and education.

The Outreach mission became and remains the fulfillment of those Four Promises: To provide safe water, food, medical care, and education.