On arguably the first warm day of the season, 100 Rotarians and residents from across the shoreline opted to stay indoors and pack thousands of meals to be sent to Haiti in the coming weeks.

The Rotary clubs of Clinton, Madison, Guilford, Branford, and East Haven came together on March 24 at the First Congregational Church in Madison to assemble and pack 28,000 meals into 138 boxes in under three hours. The boxes were then sent on to Norwich, a local headquarters for the Haitian Health Foundation (HHF), and from there they will be sent down to Haiti, specifically Jeremie, the region of the country that took the most direct hit during Hurricane Matthew.

Rotary, an organization dedicated to local and international service under the motto “Service Before Self,” focuses on raising funds for non-profits both locally and international and hands-on service projects. Madison Rotarian Bill Stableford, who helped bring the shoreline Rotary clubs together for this event, said this project accomplishes both goals.

“The Rotary clubs have pooled funds to raise $3,500 and this amount has been matched by a Rotary District Grant for a total of $7,000,” he said. “This will purchase $28,000 meals.

On March 24, the Rotarians assembled two meals—mac and cheese and beans and rice. Stableford said the materials are dried and sealed and once the recipient receives the meal, all they have to do is boil water and then add the content of the bag. One bag will provide five meals for malnourished children and families.

The meals are sent to Haiti through HHF, an organization that focuses on healthcare, education, safe housing, and preventative measures like vaccinations. Stableford has visited Haiti twice with this organization to work in its healthcare clinic and is glad there is a local connection in Connecticut.

“It provides our local Rotary clubs a direct viable connection to an international organization,” he said.

As Rotarians worked to pack the meals, Guilford Rotarian Bob Hartmann said it’s always great to get all of the shoreline clubs to work together.

“It’s rare were we are able to find something were we can get five or six clubs to come together because we all have our single large events, but this is probably the most visible in terms of getting so many people together at once,” he said.

Madison Rotarian Robert Friend, who worked with Stableford to bring this event together, said big events like this are great because it encourages other volunteers to join Rotary after seeing the clubs in action.

“We impact not only the developing countries around the world, but also our communities in huge ways…It’s the value of rolling up your sleeves, the sweat equity that goes into it, which is amazing,” he said. “Rotary is not just a club where people meet. Rotary is a movement that is all about service above self and it’s all about action.”

Friend said the turnout on March 24 was impressive and it’s important to remember that this is just one small piece—Rotary has more than 35,000 clubs and 1.2 million members across the globe.

“What we have done here is just a microcosm of what happens globally, so the bottom line is this is pretty special,” he said. “To get this kind of turnout, with a 100 people on a Saturday, it’s just incredible.”