The District End Hunger 3.6 Team enthusiastically invites all district clubs to participate in the End Hunger 3.6 project. Please consider contributing a club sponsorship for End Hunger 3.6 at your December or January board meeting. 

We summarize this worthy initiative as follows:
 
The District Project:  The End Hunger 3.6 project is a community event in which Rotarians, with the help of community volunteers, package and distribute nutritious, non-GMO, non-perishable, ready-to-cook meals to feed the hungry in our local communities.
 
The Need: Someone dies of malnutrition or starvation in the world every 3.6 seconds, hence the project name. The district is committed to tackling this issue by fighting hunger locally since, in New Jersey alone, over one million people live below the poverty line, one in five children is hungry and relies on food stamps for meals, and the number of people who go hungry and are in need of assistance in finding a meal in our area continues to rise. This project not only raises public awareness but also provides the public with hands-on experience in helping to fight hunger and alleviate an urgent basic human need.
 
Expected Outcomes  - The numerous benefits for the district and clubs are:

• Meeting an urgent and profound basic need in our local communities;

• Providing the public in our district—people of all ages—with a hands-on Rotary humanitarian service experience;

• Inspiring, educating, engaging and cultivating prospective Rotarians in our district, and growing Rotary through service;

• Setting an exemplary model of leading and uniting the community in serving the less fortunate and making a difference;

• Demonstrating our “Service Above Self” spirit throughout the district community; and

• Transforming the Rotary brand into a tangible, life-impacting, well-recognized household name in our district and beyond.

 
Two district-wide End Hunger 3.6 packaging events have been scheduled as follows:
 
Event #1: Madison
Date:   Saturday, March 7 2020 (9 AM – 3 PM).
Location:   Simon Forum of Drew University in Madison with parking on-site.
 
Meal Goal:   Package 250,000 meals, such as Rice & Beans, Pasta with Tomato & Basil, Mac & Cheese and Oatmeal, to be distributed to local hunger-based charities and organizations that minister to the impoverished throughout the district.
 
Fundraising Goal:   The cost of each meal is approximately 28 cents. The fundraising goal, including financial and in-kind gifts, is $75,000.
 
Volunteer Goal:   The estimated volunteers needed are approximately 900 people on the day of the event: 400 at each of the two two-hour shifts; and another 60 lead volunteers working throughout the day-long event. Approximately 50 Rotarians will prepare and set up the venue the day prior to the event.
 
Past Club Success   (D7470)
Year    Funds Raised   # of Meals Provided  Value of Meals  # of volunteers  # of participating clubs
2016     > $15,000            52,000                          ~ $80,000             > 250                   9
2017     > $37,000            123,000                         ~ $185,000            > 500                  19
2018     > $54,000           180,000                         ~$270,000            > 800                  29 total: 26 (D7470) and 3 (D7510)
 

Meal Distribution:
Over 40 feeding sites in New Jersey and New York City
27 sites throughout all 5 counties, including MEND, Salvation Army, Table of Hope, Market Street Mission, Community Soup Kitchen, etc.
Over 45 sites throughout 5 counties, including Salvation Army, MEND, Market Street Mission, Community Soup Kitchen, etc.
  
Leadership:   Madison Rotary and its Foundation will leverage their experience, skilled project leadership team, operational structure, fundraising know-how, volunteer engagement plan and marketing strategies from last three years to lead this initiative and deliver an equal or better level of amazing success for the district. Madison will be responsible for all aspects of planning, organizing and coordinating the project including, but not limited to, vendor management, operations, logistics, fundraising, volunteer registration, and management. Regional district representatives will be responsible for community outreach, recipient engagement, meal distribution, marketing, and publicity. Madison has already committed a significant financial contribution to the project, as it had done in 2016 through 2018.
 
Partner Clubs:  A generous financial contribution of any amount by February 9th and volunteering at the event would be greatly appreciated. For 2018, the average club contribution was $1,033, ranging from $125 to $10,000. The 2019 sponsorship level starts at $500. Each partner club may also elect to reserve, in advance, boxes of packaged meals for its designated direct-feeding charity and hunger-based organization.
 
Contact Info:  For additional and latest information, visit www.njrotary.org. If you have any questions, please contact Ellsworth Havens, End Hunger 3.6 Chair (ellsworthhavens@msn.com, 201-400-6357), or Jeannie Tsukamoto (973-410-0723).
 
Sponsorship Mailing Address    Madison Rotary Club Foundation- End Hunger 3.6, P.O. Box 211, Madison, NJ  07940. Madison Rotary Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.
 
Event #2: Branchburg
Date: Saturday, March 28,2020 (9:00 AM – 3 PM).
Location:  Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg with parking on-site.
 
Meal Goal:  Package 150,000 meals, such as Rice & Beans, Pasta with Tomato & Basil, Mac & Cheese and Oatmeal, to be distributed to local hunger-based charities and organizations that minister to the impoverished throughout the district.
 
Fundraising Goal: The cost of each meal is approximately 28 cents. The fundraising goal, including financial and in-kind gifts, is $45,000.
 
Volunteer Goal: The estimated volunteers needed are approximately 550 people on the day of the event: 275 at each of the two two-hour shifts; and another 40 lead volunteers working throughout the day-long event. Approximately 40 Rotarians will prepare and set up the venue the day prior to the event.
 
Leadership: Branchburg Rotary and the RVCC Rotaract will be responsible for all aspects of planning, organizing and coordinating the project including, but not limited to, vendor management, operations, logistics, fundraising, volunteer registration, and management. Regional district representatives will be responsible for community outreach, recipient engagement, meal distribution, marketing, and publicity.
 
Partner Clubs:  A generous financial contribution of any amount by February 29th and volunteering at the event would be greatly appreciated. The 2019 sponsorship level starts at $500. Each partner club may also elect to reserve, in advance, boxes of packaged meals for its designated direct-feeding charity and hunger-based organization.
 
Contact Info:   For additional and latest information, visit www.njrotary.org. If you have any questions, please contact PDG Tulsi Maharjan, End Hunger 3.6 Event #2 Chair, (trmaharjan@gmail.com).
 
Sponsorship Mailing Address Branchburg Rotary Club Foundation, P.O. Box 5135, Branchburg, NJ 08876. Branchburg Rotary Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.

 

For further information:
ELLSWORTH HAVENS, End Hunger 3.6 Chair: ellsworthhavens@msn.com
TULSI MAHARJAN, Event Chair: trmaharjan@gmail.com