President Bill Kehoe opened the meeting promptly at 12:25pm.

Carl Lazzaro led us in prayer

Steve Wescott led us in a melodious rendition of “God Bless America”.

 

There were no guests today.

 

Tom Digby was happy because there are matching dollars available for all gifts to the Foundation.

 

Charles Grotyohan is happy because his daughter’s wedding is just 9 days away.

 

Jim Porter was happy for the upcoming Ginny’s House Fundraiser. They are honoring Rondi Lockwood.

 

President Bill Kehoe recognized all Paul Harris Fellows o this fifth Wednesday of the month.

 

Bill Kehoe thanked everyone for their contributions to the homeless project.

On November 19, 2018 we will be meeting at Denise Current’s barn to pack backpacks and duffel bags for the homeless project. This meeting is in lieu of Wednesday’s meeting.

 

Dover Rotary is looking for donations for the victims of the massive fire the town experienced earlier this month.

 

Jim Porter announced that he has the Gift of Life Super Bowl raffle tickets and will be bringing them to next weeks’ meeting. The game is in Atlanta this season.

 

Jim Porter also announced a reminder that this year The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a 2:1 matching grant for Rotary’s Polio Plus program.

 

The Gift of Life dinner is on November 1, 2018.

 

Eat, Drink, and Share will be at the Pines Manor in Edison on November 11, 2018. They will be honoring Veterans.

 

There will be a Farm to Table fundraiser at Denise’s Barn on November 10, 2018. This will benefit Fischer House which supports military veterans and their families.

 

November 13, 2018 Vernon Rotary is host the District President at the George Inn. All are welcome to attend.

 

 

 

 

Linda provided a brief history of Manna House and its’ humble beginnings.

Manna House began 31 years ago at the First Presbyterian Church in Newton which still houses the program today. Linda is a member of the Board of Directors for the program and has been involved for the entire time. She thanked us for our on-going support.

The program was born from the deacons of the church being aware of the needs of the community and the needy. The deacons set up an ecumenical effort to create and run Manna House. The first week they fed fifteen people and now average about fifty per day with numbers as high as 75 in the past.

Each organization involved commits to one day per week and agrees to bring volunteers to staff the program. At present there are 25 participating congregations.

All funding comes from spontaneous donations. They receive no grants or government funds of any kind. The goal of the program is to help the homeless less needy and bring some joy into their lives. Manna House is open five days per week and will feed anyone who comes.

They do run a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on the third Tuesday of every month except for the holiday months of November, December, and April. The next dinner will be in January 2019.

Thank you Linda.

 

Steve Wescott won the prize of $7 dollars  but the pot lives on for another day.

 

1:05 pm

 

Respectfully submitted by Jim Taylor