In December, just in time for the Holidays, Brookfields Rotary Co-President Lynn Duffy O’Shea presented holiday donation checks to the local Food Pantries in North Brookfield and Spencer. Here we see Kathy Sullivan accept a check for the Mary, Queen of the Rosary Pantry in Spencer, MA. Separately, Cecelia Daniels accepted a check on behalf of the North Brookfield First Congregational Church Pantry.The Club also collected more than 125 coats and recycled footwear as part of its community service efforts this holiday season.
Rotary’s Annual Winter Coat Drive
In November, several members of the Brookfields Rotary Club conducted in their annual collection of winter coats at the Clam Box Restaurant in Brookfield. Co-President Sujoy Spencer coordinated an effort in which the club teamed with our with recycling partner Planet Aid, and the event sponsor Clam Box restaurant, to collect over 125 coats. 100 of these coats were donated by Planet Aid in the Clubs name, while the members collected another 25 coats and jackets donated during the event.
The coats and jackets will be distributed through ‘The Friendly House’ in Worcester. During the event, on-air personalities from Worcester radio station 98.9, WORC, provided music and picture taking, and the Clam Box contributed a free fish and chips dinner to anyone who donated a usable coat or jacket.
Tantasqua High School Students and Brookfields Rotary Team Up to Recycle Footwear
In October, Brookfields Rotary member Jake Rosen, with help from his high school classmates at Tantasqua Regional High School, collected new and used sneakers over a two week period during the school’s Homecoming Celebration. The collection is part of an ongoing environmental project of the Brookfields Rotary Club.
New and used sneakers, shoes, boots and slippers in good repair are refurbished and distributed to needy individuals. Items that cannot be refurbished are recycled and used to resurface running tracks at schools and playgrounds, thus keeping them out of landfills where they can take up to 43 years to decompose.
The Club partners with the non-profit sneaker recycler ‘GotSneakers’, which provides the Club with postage paid return bags for collected items. As an incentive, the Club receives compensation based on styles and quality of sneakers only. Proceeds are added to the Club's charitable account to help support our local service projects.