The one where we learned about Little Free (Food) Pantries.
27 Jan meeting notes
By Tom McClellan
Clover Park Rotarians gathered via Zoom, and in larger numbers, to learn about Little Free Pantries. More on that below. The last two meetings have seen 64.7% and 62.9% of members in attendance, which is the highest in months. Good job everyone!
Jeannie Hill offered up the invocation. Bill Harrison led the flag salute, with his microphone on mute but we still got through it together. And David Cotant led us in the 4-way test.
There was no sunshine to report, although your faithful scribe will note that Tom Faubion was in attendance. We all wish him good luck on his big surgery next week.
Announcements
Joyce Oubré discussed the Jan. 26 meeting of the fundraising committee, a meeting she described as “deeply probing”. It is tough to think of fundraising events under Covid, and the members are trying to think outside the box. The golf tournament is scheduled for Aug. 7. Last year’s tournament cleared $13,000, which was higher than the 2 prior years’ tournaments (thanks to the hard work of Jim Hairston and his wife Barb). Planning for this year’s tournament will commence in March. CPRI is on the back burner, as the committee could not see it working as a virtual event.
Teresa Nye mentioned during her “President’s Minute” that she is looking forward to attending PETS (President Elect Training Seminar), so that she will finally be able to know how to do her job. So far she has just been winging it (and still doing a great job).
Future Programs
Feb. 3 Ryan Tomasich, Boeing Company's Covid Response
Feb. 10 Chief Jim Sharp, West Pierce Fire and Rescue
Feb. 17 Muriel Herrera-Velasquez, Lakewood's Choice (anti-drug program)
Fun And Fines
Ed Trobaugh acknowledged the receipt of a check from Mike Killen for leaving the last meeting early, and also in celebration of his wife Cheryl getting her 2nd Covid vaccination (Cheryl is a nurse at Tacoma General).
Ed proceeded to confess his own crime against Rotary, for his phone ringing during last week’s meeting. [Note: that same phone was heard to be ringing again during this meeting.]
Joyce Oubré offered up her own confession, for she and Ron celebrating their 1st anniversary of being retired. She got out of business just in time to avoid all of the Covid lockdown headaches.
Tom McClellan made a confession to having bought a new 4-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and proudly proclaimed that he had not gotten injured with it yet. He then elaborated that he had not actually taken delivery of it, nor ridden it all, but still, so far so good.
This Week’s Program
Bob Zawilski from the Lakewood Rotary Club gave a presentation on that club’s efforts to install “little free pantries” around the 10 neighborhoods of Lakewood. This is an extension of an effort started by Molly Harmon, a Seattle chef, to copy the idea of tiny neighborhood book libraries but instead with food. See https://www.thelittlefreepantries.org/. Since March 2020, Molly and others have installed 110 pantries around the Seattle area.
The Lakewood Club members heard about this idea several months ago, but noted that the map of pantries seemed to stop at the King County border, and started up again in Thurston County. They wanted to do what they could to fill in the blanks in our area, and also to have a program that would bring the community back together on a project.
They have installed 2 pantries so far, one at the Lakewood Presbyterian Church on 104th Street, and one in Springbrook Park. The unit installed at the church was constructed by https://buildingbeyondthewalls.org/, which is a non-profit training program in construction skills. It is so far doing well, and is being well supported and supplied by community members. Zawilski attributed that to it being installed in a diverse neighborhood.
The one in Springbrook is not doing as well, in part because of the greater need in that area. It was not custom built, but rather came about as a result of a couple of shelf-boxes being added to a community information sign which had been built as part of an Eagle Scout project.
Lakewood Rotary does not “own” the pantries. It “hosts” them, and the community owns and supports them. It got a $10,000 grant from the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. Each pantry structure costs around $600, plus installation. The grant should cover the build-out through all of Lakewood's 10 neighborhoods.
The pantries are intended to supplement food banks, not replace them. Some people are embarrassed or fearful to go to the food banks. The pantries offer barrier-free access to food and hygiene products, and are available 24-7. Many of the customers are people living in their cars, especially for the Springbrook pantry, so products that do not require cooking can be extra helpful.
If you are interested in helping support this effort, you can contact Bob at zawilski@comcast.net, or (253) 389-1516.
And Finally… "If it moves" versions
Army Version:
If it moves, salute it.
If it doesn’t move, paint it.
Mechanical Engineer Version:
If it moves: torque it down harder, duct tape it, bungee cord it, ratchet strap it, SuperGlue it.
If it doesn’t move: Use WD-40, or a bigger hammer.
Civil Engineer Version:
If it moves, dam it (dammit).
If it doesn’t move, calculate its mass as a static load.
Cat Version:
If it moves, bap it with your paw.
If it doesn’t move, nuzzle it.
Congressional Version:
If it moves, tax it.
If it doesn’t move, offer stimulus to get it to move, but then add regulations sufficient to make sure that it still doesn’t move. Then blame the other party.
Gastroenterologist Version:
{deleted, we do not discuss such things at the dinner table}
Fighter Pilot Version:
If it moves, shoot it down, and sort it all out on the ground.
If it doesn’t move, buzz by it in under 2 seconds.
Adrenaline Junkie Version:
If it moves, ride it.
If it doesn’t move, climb it, and/or skydive off of it.
General Scientist Version:
If it moves, it’s biology.
If it doesn’t move, it’s geology.
Quantum Physicist Version:
If it moves, then it will perceive time as passing more slowly, so that light still appears to the observer as travelling at the same speed everywhere.
If you think it does not move, then check your spatial reference system. Everything moves.
Golf Version:
If it moves, you cannot hit it again until it stops moving.
If it cannot move, get a ruling that it is unplayable, take a drop and a penalty stroke, then hit it. Then hit it again because you did not clear the obstacle. Then swear several times, throw bag of clubs into the water hazard, and storm off. Then wade in to retrieve bag of clubs from the water hazard, find car keys, and return bag into the water hazard.
Need A New Battery Version
If it moos, it’s a danged cow of course. Eh, what? You said “moves”?