- Rotary Year: 2017-2018
- Application Date: 5/26/2017
- Club Name: Roanoke-Downtown
- Project Name: Rescue Mission Walk In Cooler Project
- Project Total Expenditures: $19,876.92
- Grant Amount Requested: $4,000.00
- Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: The cooler will be added to the Rescue Mission pantry to increase food storage capacity. The Rescue Mission receives thousands of pounds of donated produce and meats each year. Volunteers and staff work to process the food quickly so as much as possible may be used. Excess supplies are then offered to other local food pantries, then as a final last resort shared with staff before perishable items spoil. Although much food is donated, some must be purchased, especially produce during the winter months when it is not as plentiful. The additional freezer will allow the Mission to drastically reduce food purchase costs because the capacity to store meat and perishable food items will be doubled.
- This is the Club’s: Primary Project Application
- Expected Start Date: 7/1/2017
- Expected End Date: 5/7/2018
- Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 5000
- Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: The Rescue Mission of Roanoke is a comprehensive crisis intervention center for men, women, and children. Services include three meals a day, emergency shelter, a clinic (medical, dental, vision, and mental health care), a residential job/life skills program for chronically homeless individuals and a residential addiction recovery program, a grocery box distribution for eligible food-insecure families in the community, and a summer day camp for children in shelter. In 2016, the Mission served 225,301 hot meals. Breakfast is for those who stayed in shelter the night before and lunch and dinner are hospitality meals open to anyone in the community facing hunger. The additional freezer space would ensure that the Mission is not just filling stomachs but truly meeting nutritional needs by keeping plenty of fruits and vegetables on the serving line, even during the winter months when they are generally more scarce. In addition if available, the Mission provides fresh vegetables and frozen meats to the 1500 families participating in the Manna grocery box distribution program. Having extra storage capacity will mean that the Mission will also be able to meet those needs more effectively during the winter months.
- Estimated Total Project Volunteer Hours: 480
- Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): The Rescue Mission has an abundance of volunteer opportunities. Rotarians would be welcomed to wear their Rotary t-shirts and hats to help as a group with food prep and serving meals in the serving line, as well as assisting in the Manna grocery box distribution. Volunteer help is also always needed in our donation drop-off center for sorting, processing, and tagging items for our thrift stores, all proceeds from which return to benefit the Mission.
- Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: The Rescue Mission will include an announcement of Rotary’s gift in our monthly newsletter, which is mailed to over 6,600 donors, and will be also shared with thousands of online subscribers and posted on our blog. We will also issue a press release detailing the Rotary gift and its’ significance, and a sign will be attached to the freezer saying that it was made possible by Rotary. The Rotary Club will post the announcement on Facebook and Club's website in addition to submitting an article to the District Newsletter.
- Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: None
- Letter(s) of Participation: DOC001.pdf
- Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: See Budget Upload
- Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: See budget Upload
- Budget Upload:E- DG2015-Budget-Template-3.xls
- Primary Contact Name: Anita Aaron
- Primary Contact Rotary Position: President Elect
- Primary Contact Email: anitashope@aol.com
- Primary Contact Phone: 540-520-2258
- Financial Contact Name: David Hagadorn
- Financial Contact Rotary Position: Treasurer
- Financial Contact Address:
- Financial Contact Email: dshagadorn@carilionclinic.org
- Financial Contact Phone: 540-521-0099
- District Grant Project Authorization Letter0895_001.pdf
- Grant Number: 1718-07
- Grant Award: $4,000.00
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