Rotary District 7620 partnered with The Salvation Army of Central Maryland Feeding Program to provide 2,100 meals to school children enrolled in the Howard County Public Schools. During Rotary District 7620’s annual conference, which was recently held at Turf Valley Resort, the focus was on giving back to the Howard County community.

Typically, the Salvation Army of Central Maryland Feeding Program supplies food to East and West Baltimore City’s Homeless. However, when Rotary Assistant Governor Temrah Okonski learned that the district conference would be held in Howard County she asked that some of the meals go to food insecure children in the county.

“Although many families in Howard County are well off, not all are able to put healthy food on the table every night with 23.1 percent of Howard County students receiving free or reduced meals,” said Okonski. “The seven Rotary Clubs of Howard County have a wonderful relationship with our schools and it made good sense to donate food – packed during this service project – to our Howard County public school families.”

Michael Chisolm, pastor at the Salvation Army and a Rotarian, set up assembly lines of “pull top” foods such as macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, chili with beans, and chicken and rice soup. Rotarians packed 25-pound bags of food that contain 21 meals. Howard County Public Schools and food insecure families in Baltimore each received 2,100 meals.