On Tuesday, November 17th at 6 PM, our club had a virtual meeting over the telephone and internet via Zoom. President Laura Pellerano started the meeting.
Invocation was read by Rhonda Parker.
The Pledge Allegiance was led by Laura Pellerano and Tony and Julie Bouchard took attendance.
Visiting Rotarians: Dave and Betty Parsons
Birthdays: Cindy Shoppe on November 18th and Rob Hemenway on November 23rd. Happy Birthday!
Club Anniversaries: Dan Frye 1 Year on November 19th. Congratulations!!
All Happy Dollars goes towards KidsPeace for Christmas gifts for the kids this quarter. Dave Wells, Rhonda Parker, Dan Frye, JoAnn Brown, Linda Fuller, Carl Lusby, Iris Simon, Scott Kimball, Jo Cooper and Laura Pellerano.
Don’t forget about Polio Plus and EREY! Please consider making a donation.
Rotary Business:
- Happy Dollars and Polio Donations: Treasurer Debbie Ehrlenbach would like all Happy Dollars and Polio Plus donations to be mailed in a.s.a.p. to Rotary Club of Ellsworth, PO Box 741, Ellswoth, ME 04605.
- Community Service Update: Loaves and Fishes Food Drive at Ellsworth Hannaford on Saturday, November 21st. Jodie Cushing will email a sign-up sheet for those who are able to help. 9am – 2pm
December Loaves and Fishes: An email was sent by Jodie Cushing of signing up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings during the month of December. Please contact her if you can help.
- Haven’s Candies Fundraiser: Our club is partnering with Haven’s Candies in Scarborough Maine to help raise money for the club during this challenging year. Haven's Candies has generously agreed to donate 20% of all Ellsworth Rotary Club sales back to the Club. If you purchase $100 of candy or other items, Haven's will donate $20 directly to the Ellsworth Rotary Club. www.havenscandies.com
- Foundation Update: Lincoln Ehrlenbach reminded club members that our club goal is to raise $6,000 to the Annual Fund. Lincoln believes we can and will do more than that. He would like to see 100% club participation towards Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY).
- Gifting Experience: Jack Frost and Carl Lusby are coming up with different ideas and options of this year’s Gifting Experience. This will be our 15th Year! It will be different due to COVID-19. They were thinking that we may wish to find a way to keep some (or all) of the funds with our downtown businesses. Please give some thought to this idea of purchasing gift certificates at shops such as: Union River Book & Toy, Rock & Art, Bud Connection, Rooster Brother. This option would allow either the family to shop directly or the nonprofit staff could aid with the shopping. By having the Club purchase the gift certificates, local businesses would know that Rotary is supportive of shopping local. This idea will need more flushing out for consideration, but wanted to toss it out for your initial reaction.
There is consideration of the option to donate some of the Gifting Experience donations for gift certificates to local downtown businesses that could be given to the Ellsworth Police Department. They could use these when out in the community as a small token of support for those they encounter that could use some additional cheer during the holiday season.
Guest Speaker: This week’s guest speakers were Andy Matthews and Ken Hoogerhyde of the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.
Loaves and Fishes is a local food pantry serving Hancock County for more than 40 years since 1978. They are supported by churches and other service-oriented organizations in and around Ellsworth. They have provided countless thousands of individuals with food to help alleviate the effects of food insecurity. They are a 501c3 non-profit supported exclusively by volunteers, except for a part-time pantry manager who receives a modest stipend. They receive income from individual donors, municipalities, and fundraising efforts.
VOLUNTEER
We are looking for volunteers for our “on call” list. Call our manager, at 207.667.4363
DONATE FOOD
Staples should be within “use by” date and in unopened containers.
DONATE GARDEN VEGETABLES
Share your garden vegetables
COLLECT REDEEMABLE BOTTLES AND CANS
Drop redeemable bottles and cans at the Union River Redemption Center, Ellsworth or pick up “Clynk” bags from the Pantry, fill with redeemables and return to Hannaford in Ellsworth. Scan the sticker which comes with the bags and drop off in the building next to Hannaford Supermarket.
OFFER FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Donations can be mailed to us at P.O. Box 1672, Ellsworth, ME 04605
DONATIONS OF FOOD MAY BE DROPPED OFF AT THE PANTRY DURING HOURS OF OPERATION M-W-F 8 AM – 11 AM
The Pantry is grateful for our club’s help over the years!
Respectfully submitted by Ashley Johnson
