Posted by Victor T. Tom on Jun 03, 2019
Recently, 18 members of the Rotary clubs of Bedford, Burlington, Burlington Breakfast, Tyngsboro/Dunstable, and Kobleskill, NY plus the Rotarcat Club of MIT, representing three districts, joined more than 200 volunteers from the local community plus corporations Anika Therapeutics and BAE Systems to package more than 40,000 meals.  Rise Against Hunger will distribute these meals to school meal programs in developing countries. This brought our seven-year total to more than 400,000 meals.   
 
At the end of April, the Rotary Club of Bedford ran its 7th Annual Meals for Kids event at the Middlesex Community College in Bedford.  Past District Governor Bob Cassidy led the MFK organizing committee, stating, "It was a team effort, and a darn good one."
 
Aided by loud. upbeat music and periodic gong strikes, our volunteers, ranging from children to senior citizens, participated in a fun and rewarding service activity, filling bags and weighing, sealing, labeling and packing them into boxes. This allowed our local community to join Rotary in service above self.
 
We ran two two-hour shifts, morning and afternoon, with refreshments and lunch provided by Dunkin Donuts, Flatbread Pizza, and Red Heat Tavern. Major sponsorship was provided by Anika Therapeutics and BAE Systems, with funding also raised by the Rotary clubs of Bedford, Burlington Breakfast and Tyngsboro/Dunstable. Our volunteers also contributed more than 300 pounds of food and personal hygiene items to the Middlesex Community College Food Pantry for needy students here in our own neighborhood.
 
For more information, contact District Grants Subcommittee Chair Victor Tom, a Bedford Rotarian, at vtom0@yahoo.com.