Club News

We very sadly lost Tony, a very good friend and stalwart member of the Club, on the 7th November. Tony had been a member since 1989 and always played an enthusiastic and active part in the Club and its activities, including having taken on the role of President in 1997 and again in 2010; in 2015 he was elected as a Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of his long outstanding service to Rotary.  

Despite a worsening debilitating illness, Tony continued to support the Club right up to a few weeks ago when he was taken into hospital. A warm, gentle and kind man, he will be missed by all of us and our thoughts and prayers are with Maureen, Tony and family.

Annette Davis from Mary’s Meals recently gave an interesting presentation to the club about the work of this global organisation which began in 2002 by feeding 200 children in one school in Malawi. It now feeds more than 2million children every school day in 12 countries across four continents.

Mary’s Meals provides life-changing meals to some of the world’s poorest children. It is a no-frills charity with a simple idea that works: by providing one good meal a day in a place of learning, hungry children are drawn into the classroom where they can receive an education that could one day free them from poverty. 

Kitchens are established in the schools and local ingredients are used to provide nourishing meals. On average, it costs just £15.90 to feed one child for a whole school year.

Using locally produced food helps to support local farmers and the meals help to support families who are struggling to feed their children.

For more information about Mary’s Meals please visit www.marysmeals.org.uk

Sunday 24^th October was World Polio Day and it marked the end of Faversham Rotary Club’s exhibition in the Town Hall, all part of a global Rotary effort aimed at ending the crippling disease in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan by funding mass immunisation.  When a child receives their dose of vaccine, their little finger is dyed purple to show that they have been protected, hence Purple4Polio.

Purple crocus are the campaign symbol and thousands of corms have been planted in and around Faversham in recent years. Look out for them in the spring!

The Town Hall also turned purple each evening, thanks to Faversham Town Council.

Club members were on hand to talk about Rotary’s world wide campaign to raise awareness of polio and to encourage donations to End Polio Now. Members also took the opportunity to talk about Rotary in general and Faversham Rotary in particular and the local projects that the Club supports.

During the week, the Club received donations totalling over £270 for End Polio Now.