Meeting Notes - Nov. 4th 2016
Posted by Mike Isler
November 4th Meeting Minutes
Announcements:
- Sarah Richardson announced that over $700 was raised today in addition to donations of boxes of stuffing in the first week of our Club's support of the
Dublin Food Pantry (DFP) and their 2017 Harvest of Hope event. Each year, DFP provides families the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving meal, and we are collecting boxes of Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing and/or monetary donations again next Friday, 11/11.
- Claudia Trusty announced that the Literacy Committee is planning to meet at 10:00 AM on the 14th at the Dublin Schools Administration building on Coffman Rd. to apply labels to the dictionaries to be donated. Any Club member who is available is welcome to join in.
- Bruce Andrews passed the clipboard for the first time to generate sign-ups for Salvation Army Bell Ringing on Dec. 3rd and 17th
- Susan Robenalt announced that the shopping at Kohl's for 22 people is planned on Saturday, Dec. 3rd beginning at 9:00. We are adopting families through the Salvation Army and Syntero. Please email Susan if you can help with the shopping.
- On Friday the 18th, a perfect party is being planned at Mohan Viddam's house, and attendees will get to see pictures from Mohan's India trip and Roberta Kayne's Italy trip. More details to come.
- Dave Williamson reminded everyone about the Nov. 19th scheduled tour of the Mott's Military Museum beginning at 9:30. Warren Motts, who was our speaker at last Friday's meeting, will be our tour guide. Cost is $8 per adult and $5 per child. Check your email for a message from Cindy with the registration link.
Notes from our our Guest Speaker, Molly Arbogast, Executive Director of the Dublin Food Pantry:
The Dublin Food Pantry (DFP) was started in the Dublin Community Church in the 1970s and has grown significantly since then and was officially incorporated as a non-profit entity. This is a "Choice Pantry" which is set up like a grocery store where volunteers assist patrons in selecting food items that they know how to use and prepare. This ensures that the food items that are donated to no go to waste and are utilities once brought home.
DFP has ~100 weekly volunteers and ~500 one-time event volunteers during the year. The pantry serves residents of the City of Dublin or those with the Dublin City Schools boundaries. 49% of the patrons have children under 18, while over 50% have a household member over the age of 60. 36% are of Middle East/North African origin, and 32% are of Asian origin. It's important for the DFP staff to be able to adapt to the changing origins of its patrons to ensure that the food items offered are appropriate.
Food insecurity is a growing concern, and suburban food insecurity in communities like Dublin is often a hidden need. Ohio ranks 3rd highest in the U.S. in 2015 in food insecurity. The food insecurity problem impacts performance in school, job performance, short and long term memory issues and other health issues, including mental health concerns.
In 2015, DFP provided ~130,000 meals for ~9,000 families. In addition to providing the food items and hygiene items, DFP serves as a point of referral to other services that these residents may need (e.g., Welcome Warehouse, Syntero, etc).
Over 260,000 pounds of food were donated to DFP in 2015. Donations can be made between 8am-8pm daily. Specific food items requested include Dried Beans, Rice, Peanut Butter, Baking Items like Sugar, Flour, Baking Soda, etc., and Condiments. Toiletry items including Toilet Paper and Feminine Hygiene items are also of particular need.
This year, in addition to our Club's current collections in support of Harvest of Hope and our ongoing collection of toiletry items monthly, we will also be including DFP in The Blarney Bash.
More information about the pantry can be found at dublinfoodpantry.org.