• Rotary Year: 2022-2023
  • Application Date: 6/15/2022
  • Club Name: Blacksburg
  • Project Name: NRV GLEAN TEAM
  • Project Total Expenditures: $7,000.00
  • Grant Amount Requested: $3,500.00
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: The Rotary Club of Blacksburg and the New River Valley Glean Team (NRVGT) located at 1205 Old Mill Road, Blacksburg, Va. 24060 want to nourish the hungry in our communities by providing nutritious, fresh vegetables gleaned from the initial harvest. Through this partnership fresh vegetables at area food banks, soup kitchens, church pantries, low-income housing and shelters will be provided, a food source that does not presently exist. In 2021 alone the NRVGT delivered food to 34 different organizations across SW Virginia and SE West Virginia. During this year Rotarians will assist the NRVGT in the distribution of surplus potatoes through two “potato drops”. In addition, NRVGT will grow fresh tomatoes in a “high tunnel”, a low-tech greenhouse, which will be constructed on the property. This structure will protect the plants from deer foraging. The high tunnel project was begun with a grant from “100+ Women” of the NRV but needs to be finished with our help. To do this, the needs of the NRVGT are listed in the budget data. Rotarians will assist in the construction of the high tunnel, the gleaning activities and distribution of the produce throughout the growing season.
  • This is the Club’s: Primary Project Application
  • Expected Start Date: 7/15/2022
  • Expected End Date: 11/30/2022
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 20500
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: Including fresh vegetables in one’s diet has many benefits including fighting inflammation, improving blood pressure, increasing dietary fiber, reducing the risk of macular degeneration (a common eye disease of the elderly), and reducing the risk of cancer….to name a few. The produce gleaned from the fields and distributed to the food banks and pantries in the New River Valley will enhance the health of residents suffering from food insecurity. In addition, since food waste that ends up in landfills produce a large amount of methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than even CO2, this grant will help slow climate change. The World Wildlife Federation clearly states, “But wasted food isn’t just a social or humanitarian concern – it’s an environmental one. https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste
  • Estimated Total Project Volunteer Hours: 500
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): Rotarians will assist the volunteers of the NRVGT with the construction of the “high tunnel”. This will involve the assembly of the supporting roof supports, the spreading of gravel and planting of the tomatoes. Also, Rotarians will be involved in the harvesting and distribution of the vegetables as well as distributing the donated potatoes.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: Our Rotary emblem will be displayed on the high tunnel as well as through the NRV Glean Team’s / Rotary Club of Blacksburg’s Facebook pages. The Club will wear apparel with our logos while working on this project. The PR committee of the Rotary Club of Blacksburg will be regularly posting our activities on social media and we will submit stories in our local papers.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: NRV Glean Team
    https://www.facebook.com/NRVGleanTeam/
    https://sites.google.com/a/vt.edu/nrv-glean-team-potato-drop-site
  • Letter(s) of Participation: Rotary_Club_NRVGT_letter_of_participation.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:Blacksburg_Budget.xls
  • Primary Contact Name: Kenneth D'Amato, DO
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: President Rotary Club of Blacksburg
  • Primary Contact Email: jeff@hammel.one
  • Primary Contact Phone: 540-577-8365
  • Financial Contact Name: Fred Meyers
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: Treasurer Rotary Club of Blacksburg
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    POB 770
    Blacksburg, VA 24060
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: fredmeyers172@me.com
  • Financial Contact Phone: 703-624-3438
  • District Grant Project Authorization LetterNRV_ROTARY_GLEAN_TEAM_MOU.pdf
  • Grant Number: 2022-02
  • Grant Award: $3,500.00