Some 15 years after it began, the Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam County’s Second Harvest program has just celebrated the distribution of its 2-millionth pounds of food.
“In 2008 we started a food rescue where we were getting food from restaurants and taking it to folks and distributing it,” explained Bill Bonnington, president of the Second Harvest board. “In 2012, we started a relationship with Golden Harvest, a federal program, part of Feeding America. We started procuring food from them and distributing it.”
Just before 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, it was dark and cool but more than 60 volunteers from various local organizations gathered at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Greensboro. It’s a well-oiled machine. Cans, boxes, and fresh food were moved into place.
Tables were set up. Shopping carts were lined up, filled up, and rolled to the church’s drive-thru where other volunteers prepared to load items into the backseats or trunks of recipients’ cars.
Recipients are required to register inside and there are refreshments available. The Oconee Regional Humane Society provides pet food for those who have furry friends at home. The Rotary’s Books4Kids program offers books for both adults and children.
Bonnington says Second Harvest distributes food for about 175 families on the third Saturday of every month.
On this Saturday, Bonnington addressed the volunteers and recipients to thank them and the local sponsors for all the meaningful work they and others had done over the years to provide 2 million pounds of food for those in need.
The Rotary Club’s Second Harvest is one of a few programs serving Greene County that seek to end hunger among local children and adults.
Others include the Greene County Food Pantry, which is open three days a week so, once a month, families can pick up food supplies. Also, Our Father’s Kitchen is a program where four downtown churches alternate providing free lunch at the First United Methodist Church every Saturday.