A group of members and guests from the Rotary Club of Lynn volunteered recently to prepare and serve food at My Brothers Table, a soup kitchen in Lynn. Members and guests worked on the serving line and in the kitchen providing important service to people in need. Those attending were Bill and Peg Simpson, Rich Cuffe, Art Horgan, Steve and Linda Upton, Tom Lynch, and Ray and Mackie Bastarache. Everyone agreed that the time was well spent both for the community and for us as individuals. As usual, it was a busy night, with lots of people going through the line to get a great meal provided by the kitchen at no cost to them. While all members were busy serving various foods on the line, club member Art Horgan had the most challenging food to serve; ice cream…rock hard ice cream! Club members may have had tired feet from serving on the line, but all were happy to have had the experience of helping people in need. It was a good night of service and fraternity, a great expression of the Rotary motto, Service Above Self.
In the kitchen and on the line
The calm before the storm
Keeping the place clean
Cleanliness is next to... Impossible, with so many people to feed!
Those who clean together.... make for clean kitchens!
Club member Ray Bastarache recently addressed the Club about his service trip to Appalachia where he spent a week in Kentucky helping people in an area deep in poverty. He went with a group from local churches and worked in an extremely poor areas. In his opening remarks, he read several statistics which highlighted the plight of the area. High unemployment, below average wage earnings, above average prescription pain medication abuse, and above average cases of depression were measures of the poverty there. He spoke of how a local Catholic priest there created a local economy by organizing donations to the area and by providing jobs in the distribution of the aid. Volunteers from around the country go to the area to help the local population by distributing food and clothing, building and repairing houses, and providing help to the locals in a wide variety of areas. His presentation was a great reminder to club members of the need in this world, and the value of service to others. Their work in Appalachia reminded club members of the Rotary motto, Service Above Self.
Ray had a guest with him that week, Harvey Rowe, of Panakio Insurance Adjusters. Harvey has been to the Appalachia area several times volunteering to help the people of the area. He provided several good stories of his service there, all of which highlighted the plight of the area and the need for help for the local population there. Club member wondered why there was not more governmental help there, in an area of the US, since so much aid is provided all around the world. There were many questions and the dialogue was lively. Club members appreciated the good presentation and, more importantly, the service of Ray and Harvey in that area of the country.
Reprinted from "Ever Wonder Why?" by Douglas B. Smith
Ever Wonder Why...an expensive but nonproductive possession is called a "white elephant"?
This is said to have originated with the king of Siam, who supposedly gave white elephants to members of his court he wished to ruin. White elephants, at that time, were considered sacred and were not allowed to do work, yet they still had to be fed and cared for. Thus a possession that must be maintained at high cost but that offers no productive output in return is said to be a “white elephant”.
A group of members and guests from the Rotary Club of Lynn volunteered recently to prepare and serve food at My Brothers Table, a soup kitchen in Lynn. Members and guests worked on the serving line and in the kitchen providing important service to people in need. Those attending were Bill and Peg Simpson, Rich Cuffe, Art Horgan, Steve and Linda Upton, Tom Lynch, and Ray and Mackie Bastarache. Everyone agreed that the time was well spent both for the community and for us as individuals. As usual, it was a busy night, with lots of people going through the line to get a great meal provided by the kitchen at no cost to them. While all members were busy serving various foods on the line, club member Art Horgan had the most challenging food to serve; ice cream…rock hard ice cream! Club members may have had tired feet from serving on the line, but all were happy to have had the experience of helping people in need. It was a good night of service and fraternity, a great expression of the Rotary motto, Service Above Self.
Club member Ray Bastarache recently addressed the Club about his service trip to Appalachia where he spent a week in Kentucky helping people in an area deep in poverty. He went with a group from local churches and worked in an extremely poor areas. In his opening remarks, he read several statistics which highlighted the plight of the area. High unemployment, below average wage earnings, above average prescription pain medication abuse, and above average cases of depression were measures of the poverty there. He spoke of how a local Catholic priest there created a local economy by organizing donations to the area and by providing jobs in the distribution of the aid. Volunteers from around the country go to the area to help the local population by distributing food and clothing, building and repairing houses, and providing help to the locals in a wide variety of areas. His presentation was a great reminder to club members of the need in this world, and the value of service to others. Their work in Appalachia reminded club members of the Rotary motto, Service Above Self.
