It may have been cold and damp on Saturday, October 12 but that didn’t dampen the spirits of 38 District 7 Rotary Club members and 37 high school Interact Club members. All seven Rotary Clubs in the area were represented at the Annual Barrel Wrap at the Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse. Starting at 7:30 AM volunteers cheerfully removed last year’s wrap from the barrels, re-wrapped in the 2013 banner, re-hauled to a stairway and lifted 750 barrels to the upper floor for storage. “I’ve never been so proud of young adults as I was Saturday,” said Doug Deaver, President of the Capitola Aptos Rotary Club.
Rotary’s Interact Club is a service organization comprised of high school students and sponsored by Rotary International. The members plan community activities and raise money for local and international projects. They give back to Santa Cruz by serving at events, engaging other students and promoting “Service Before Self” a core value of Rotary.
Second Harvest CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea confirmed that this annual event brings adults and youth together to help end hunger and malnutrition throughout Santa Cruz County. “If we all do a little something for this effort, we can be sure that our local families will not go hungry.” Second Harvest plans to provide 3.5 million meals locally between now and the end of the holiday season.
Should you want to donate money to Second Harvest, please go to http://www.thefoodbank.org. To find a local Rotary club go to www.rotary.org and see how you too, can get involved and make a difference in our community.