The outbreak of the coronavirus has brought us to an unfamiliar situation of having to limit physical human interactions within our communities and across the globe in order to try and curb the spread of this virus. Here's what our club is doing about meetings and service projects...
LUNCHES CANCELED & POSSIBLY MOVED ONLINE
After many conversations with members of our Rotary Board, our District Governor, as well as considering recommendations made by the CDC, WHO, US government and other entities, we have decided to err on the side of caution and cancel in-person upcoming meetings for the time being or until restrictions have been lifted on people meeting in groups of 10 or more.
Though we will miss our lunches at the Breeze, it's a great time to utilize online meeting spaces! Lori Draper is helping us get Zoom meetings set up for any of our speakers that are willing to present online. Though our speaker schedule is changing due to these new restrictions, we will still send out weekly emails to our members about what to expect for each Tuesday meeting as we figure it out.
HELPING IN THE COMMUNITY
Our Club has been volunteering out with at least one hands-on community project per month. Most of the projects we had in mind for March and April have now been canceled. However, with the coronavirus concern there is more of a need for help with senior services in the community. We reached out to some of the different groups in town that serve seniors to see if anyone needed volunteers. Though we are in the midst of a virus outbreak, we have some opportunities to show our true service selves by helping others. After speaking with Seward Hospice, the Senior Center, Mountain Haven, and the Food Bank, we have found some great ways for us to help out our community in the upcoming weeks.
SENIOR CENTER
The Senior Center has been a distribution site for The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) which works to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods.
We will help deliver food boxes to those in need.
The Senior Center also needs drivers for Meals on Wheels clients and has offered free lunches to all local seniors for the next two weeks. They have driving shifts covered through the end of March but if this goes beyond that they will need more volunteers.
Seward Senior Center 907 224 5604
FOOD BANK
The food bank is currently not allowed to have people come into the building to get their food. They are still distributing food boxes outdoors but since no one is in the building, they feel it is a great time to paint the floors! I guess they have really been needing this to get done and it sounds like they have the paint and rollers. All we need to supply are the people!
I am coordinating with our members to see who is ready to paint :)
If you hear of any other ways our Club can be of service please let us know!
Take Care,
Nicole Lawrence
Seward Rotary Club - Member Since 2015
2019/2020 Rotary Club President
~Owner/Broker of Seward Properties & Captain for Major Marine Tours~