Last week, we were visited by Noah Zach, officer with the Crete Police Department to share about a program he's leading called Project Protein.  He's recognized a gap in food insecurity within the community, particularly during the summer when school is not in session, and that kids are not getting enough protein--filling them up longer so they're not as hungry.  There's a program through the school that gives free breakfast and lunch to kids during the summer, but they can't take it with them.  Crete Public Schools is covering July, but he wants to fundraise to get food that's protein heavy specifically.

 

He's received donations from Farmland in Crete and Smart Chicken in Waverly which is a great start!  The high school is offering the use of their coolers to store the meat in after it's donated or purchased.  Beginning on July 6th, they'll be distributing bags of raw meat to families that are specifically part of the McKinney-Vento program (about 230 kids), and if there's any left over, it can go to more families.  It'll be distributed at the high school where families can drive up, and take the meat with them preparing it however they'd like.  

 

The project is also motivated by the desire to deepen the relationship between the police department and the community.  As stated on their flyer: "This isn't just about food, it's about building trust, hope, and a stronger connection between law enforcement and the community we proudly serve."  Donations can be made through the Crete Police department's Venmo @CreteFOP74, or you can coordinate donations by emailing noah.zach@crete.ne.gov.  Hopefully they can raise enough to continue a version of this project throughout the year!  Thank you, officer Zach, for sharing this project with us!

 

 

Next, we awarded Karen Drevo her first Paul Harris Fellow!  The certificate and pin is awarded when members make a lifetime donation of $1000 to the Rotary Foundation.  There's an award for every $1000 after that.  Congratulations, Karen!  Thank you for your generosity to the Rotary Foundation!  Polio and Foundation Chair, Jack Thompson also reported the club has met both the Polio and Foundation goals set this year!  That's no easy feat with us also raising money for the park, so thank you all for your contributions--they all add up!

 

Coming up we have lunch at Cristina's from 12-1 on Wednesday, June 18th.  Please let Shay know if you'll be able to make it so she can let the staff know.  

 

Additionally, we're gearing up for our fair projects again next month!  Please check your calendars for July 17th as there will be the beer garden and ticket takers needed for that evening.  That weekend, we will also be doing recycling beginning at 6:30am.  Sign up sheets will be going around at the next meeting, or you can email Janelle to get signed up.