On the morning of Saturday, January 21st, the Easton Rotary Club hosted its 2023 Rise Against Hunger event at the Waterfowl Building in downtown Easton, which brought together 115 volunteers who packed 20,000 meals for those facing hunger around the world. Co-sponsors of the event included the Easton High School Interact Club, St. John’s Foundation and Church of the Holy Trinity.
20,000 meals were packed during the 2023 event, bringing the total of meals packed since 2018 to 70,000. Easton Rotary has hosted an annual packing event, with a pause in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19 and is well on its way to achieving its goal to pack 100,000 meals by 2025.
“What amazes me the most about our Rise Against Hunger event is how our community is so eager to help with their time and donations for those around the world who are facing hunger every day,” said Richie Wheatley, Easton Rotary Rise Against Hunger Chair.

On the morning of Saturday, January 21st, the Easton Rotary Club hosted its 2023 Rise Against Hunger event at the Waterfowl Building in downtown Easton, which brought together 115 volunteers who packed 20,000 meals for those facing hunger around the world.
Rise Against Hunger’s goal of ending hunger is accomplished not only through their meal packaging program that harnesses the passion of local volunteers, but also by the implementation of sustainable community development projects. Targeting remote, last-mile communities within hunger pockets worldwide, they work through local leaders to build resilience, self-sufficiency, and empowerment.
The 20,000 meals, packaged by the Easton Rotary Club volunteers will be distributed across the globe to people facing hunger. The current countries engaged in the program are Belize, Burundi, Cambodia, eSwatini, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Philippines, Uganda, Somalia, South Africa, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Niger, Sierra-Leone, South Sudan, and Ukraine.
The event brought together a diverse group of 115 volunteers, with the youngest being only 5 years old and the oldest in their 80s. The volunteers came from The Easton High School Interact Club, The Rotary Club of St. Michaels, The Easton High School Baseball Team, 2023 Easton High School Seniors, Exchange students from Easton High School & Saints Peter & Paul High School, Holy Trinity Church Youth Group, St. Mark’s Youth Group, Easton Church of Christ, Talbot County 4-H, as well as other individual community members.
“I am so proud of the dedication to service we have in our community,” said Easton Rotary Club President, Kelly Griffith. “It truly reminds me of a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
To learn more about Rise Against Hunger, visit www.riseagainsthunger.org.
About the Rotary Club of Easton, MD
The Rotary Club of Easton Maryland is comprised of more than 100 professional men and women committed to the Rotary Motto, Service Above Self. They are part of a global network of more than 1.2 million Rotarians who are changing lives in their own communities and around the world. Founded in 1921, the Rotary Club of Easton is the world’s first Rotary Club in a town of fewer than 10,000 people. Meetings are held on Thursdays at Scossa restaurant and guests are always welcome. For more information, please visit eastonrotary.org.
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