We gathered today at the Redwood, enjoying the sunshine of a breezy autumn day. Sue greeted 18 Rotarians and five guests.

 

President Judy led us off with the Pledge, followed by an inspiration: "Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help." William Arthur Ward

 

We celebrated October birthdays for Tim and Marty. Carrie and Bill have an anniversary. Alan S. has been a member for 3 years and Mike Joseph for 30 years!

 

Our guests were Ernest Litchfield (Denise's dad), Tom Hawks, and our speakers from Naples Open Cupboard (NOC) - Christina, Jessica and Elisha.

 

Announcements: This Thursday evening is the Area Gathering at BVT at 7pm. You can still RSVP to Judy or Carrie. * World Polio Day is 10/22 at VFW. * Camp O dinner is 11/6 in Geneva. Skip has raffle tickets for that event. * You can register online for the District Conference in Rochester, 6/5/2027. * This is the last day to donate for the Alzheimer Walk. * District 7120 is considering another opportunity for One Rotary Summit on Nov 7th, 10- 1 pm, location TBD if enough folks respond. Let Cindy know if you are interested. * Denise escorted her dad to Washington DC for Honor Flight Rochester over the weekend. The organization and crew were great. She thanked Brittany for helping to make it happen! Her dad is 92, lives in NH and was the oldest veteran on the trip. The experience was fantastic and quite overwhelming. She thanked the group of Naples Rotarians who attended the welcome home at ROC. * October is Breast Cancer Awareness month - Skip and Judy were wearing pink. Get your mammogram!

 

Our speakers today were Christina Bliss and Jessica Romero from Naples Open Cupboard. Elisha Mykins was here from Foodlink. Christina has lived in Naples for 8 years and started as a volunteer. She is now the Coordinator of NOC. She has two sons, Austin and Carter. Jessica is the Assistant Coordinator. She moved to Naples in 2001 and graduated NCS in 2006. Recently she trained as a trauma informed caregiver and mandatory reporter who will connect people needing resources. Elisha works with the nine foodbanks of Ontario County within the 300 pantries Foodlink serves. The services provided by NOC are the free food pantry which also includes clothing, household goods, books and games. People within the Naples School District can receive monthly quantities of food and clothing. The monthly Pop-up pantry (PUP) is open for anyone on the first Monday of the month. They serve about 160 families with 8-15K pounds of food, including fresh produce, per month. 30-50 volunteers help each time. There are also harvest and holiday food boxes by the hundreds (reservations required).

 

Upstairs at 24 Mill Street is Thrift and Thrive, a discount shop whose proceeds go toward the NOC needs. Donations are welcome there Tuesday - Saturday, 11-5. Volunteers are always welcome for any of these activities! Recently they launched a program called Medicaid 1115 with Foodlink for recipients in need of food, transportation, home goods and clothing aimed at improving health. Over the summer, 5 meals per week were given to 40 students. They partner with Wegmans, Dollar General, Rennoldsons, Boys and Girls Club of Geneva, local farmers and Foodlink of Rochester. About 120 volunteers fill 50 shifts a week. John and Christina also work with Ontario County Partners to collaborate services regionally. They expect to serve 14000 clients this year, up 30% from 2025. Any excess clothing is given to the VFW or Goodwill. They are fundraising to be able to purchase their headquarters at 24 Mill Street in the near future. Check out their website at naplesopencupboard.com. Thanks for all you do!

 

The Ace of Hearts was $183 with 13 cards left in the deck. Kevin had lucky ticket #1000 and was so close with the King of Hearts!

Happy Bills were abundant for the wonderful programs of Naples Open Cupboard, and for the volunteers and the Board. The amount and quality of food given is amazing - if you need, you get. The monthly Pop-Up is a busy and fun event. * The Honor Flight experience was very moving and appreciated. The Rochester group does a wonderful job for the veterans. "Thank you" goes to all veterans. * Our thoughts go out to Nicole Green's family as her memorial service was today. * Brenda's son in Salt Lake City was very lucky and is recovering from a lightning strike on his home. * Albie says hi as he rests up from the Open Studio tours this weekend. 

 

The Rotary Moments were several photos of the Welcome Home to the Honor Flight veterans at ROC on Sunday afternoon. A heartwarming afternoon!

 

We recited the Four Way Test and adjourned at 12:58pm.