The Freeport Rotary Club participated in Freeport Community Services Annual Freeze Out event on Saturday, February 17th, to “Stuff the Bus” with food and supplies for the FCS Food Pantry. The FCS food pantry provides essential food and supplies to local families in need. The school bus was parked in front of the Shaw’s Supermarket in Freeport where Rotarians asked for food donations as customers did their grocery shopping. Freeport Rotarian, Michele Bois-Gilbody stated that she was overwhelmed with the compassion that customers shared as they donated products to stuff the bus. In fact, some of the donations came from customers who had been patrons in the FCS Food Pantry in the past. Other Rotarians who participated in the event included Joe Rotundo, Bob Small, Jeremy Gould, Philip McCormick, David McClelland, Lonny Winrich and Dennis Levasseur.

A Freeport Rotarian, Tom Wilbur and his wife, Catherine, will be heading to Kakamega, Kenya on March 26 through April 13 as part of a Rotary District 7780 service trip. The purpose of the trip is to improve the lives of the children and graduates of the Kakamega Orphanage. The Rotary team plans to fill two 26 gallon plastic bins with greatly needed supplies that have been requested by the Kakamega Orphanage. Tom Wilbur is collecting donations from fellow Rotarians that include bath towels, twin-size bed sheets, soccer balls and laptops. Freeport Rotarians are also gathering monies to purchase a new laptop for the orphanage that will be delivered personally by Tom Wilbur. The Freeport Rotary Club has supported the Kakamega Orphanage with numerous visits and donation initiatives for the last 15 years.

Service activities near and far including those described above, provide joy to many of the Freeport Rotarians. Freeport Rotarian, Todd Doolan, described how rewarding it is to have a group of individuals who eagerly get involved in community service activities to help those most in need, both locally and internationally. Todd stated, “I come to Freeport Rotary meetings because when I leave each meeting, I have an extra skip in my step. The comradery and support make each day, a better day!”

The Freeport Rotary Club, formed in 1983, is a diverse group of business and professional people from the Freeport, Durham, Pownal area. Its mission is to provide service to those in need, locally and around the world. The Freeport Rotary Club meets weekly on Wednesday mornings, 7 a.m., at Freeport Community Services on Depot St. in Freeport. For more detailed information about the Freeport Rotary Club and its programs, visit freeport-rotary.org. All interested individuals are welcome!