In response to the ongoing pandemic, the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club established a Coronavirus Task Force (CTF) at the end of 2020 to determine how the Club could best assist our San Diego community affected by the horrific consequences of the coronavirus. Among many worthy charities, the CTF selected Meals on Wheels San Diego County as the organization to support because it serves a segment of the community particularly hard-hit by and vulnerable to the coronavirus: food insecure seniors and disabled individuals confined to their homes.
In December, the CTF held a virtual fundraiser on Zoom at our regular Wednesday morning meetings. San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary club members, in typical Rotarian fashion, stepped up to generously donate $11,795 to Meals on Wheels -- the equivalent of more than 1,100 meals.
In addition, club members and students from several of our club-sponsored Interact Clubs wrote more than 450 personal notes with holiday wishes and “Thinking of you” sentiments. Brent Wakefield, CEO of Meals on Wheels, said this heartfelt touch was well-received and very meaningful to the seniors and other individuals who receive meals and often live alone.
Not surprisingly, generosity can be contagious. Two anonymous (non-Rotarian) donors, inspired by the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary club’s fundraising efforts, agreed to match this charitable giving with another $10,000. What a perfect example of how “Rotary Opens Opportunities!” The club’s largesse grew to an amazing $21,795 gift to Meals on Wheels, providing more than 2,100 meals to those in need.
Photo: San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club member Mary Dawe is shown presenting a ceremonial check to Meals on Wheels’ Brent Wakefield.