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Showing thanks with a free meal
Rotary Club of Statesboro offering burgers, dogs to frontline COVID-19 workers
rotary

The Rotary Club of Statesboro plans to show appreciation and thanks to those on the front lines of protecting and caring for the public during the COVID-19 pandemic by serving a free lunch on Thursday.

Members of the club and other volunteers will grill hamburgers and hotdogs, which will be part of a sack lunch along with a bag of chips and water in a drive-thru manner at the old location of Statesboro Nevil Tire on Northside Drive West, across from the Bulloch Telephone office. They will be giving out meals between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

“We’ll adhere to all the social distancing rules and make it as low-contact as can be,” said John Scott, Rotary Club of Statesboro board member and one of the organizers of the event.

“This is our way to give back to those people continuing to work during these times,” said Brad Williams, past-president of Rotary Club of Statesboro and an organizer of the free meal. “We thought it was a way to thank law enforcement workers, fire and safety personnel, ambulance drivers, EMT, the power people who’ve kept our lights on, those making masks in the community, those in the medical field.”

The idea came about when members of the Rotary Club of Statesboro were working together on one of their recurring service projects – helping with the soup kitchen, sponsored every Saturday morning by Statesboro First United Methodist Church.

Scott mentioned casually to some of the other Rotary members about cooking a meal for public servants.

“For those workers on the front lines of this thing, public servants, anyone trying to protect the public from this virus,” Scott said “I wasn’t really sure if it could materialize, but Brad took the lead and ran with it.”

Jim Benton, current president of the club, marveled at how well the event came together.

“With our current circumstances we’re all living under, there’s no better time for organizations like the Rotary Club to serve the community,” said Benton.

“This one came together and began to gel almost overnight,” Benton continued. “Many Rotarians stepped up and others volunteered, too. When something like this is on people’s hearts and minds, it’s easy to get people to come out and help. That’s the great part about living in Statesboro and Bulloch County, where needs are seen by many and met by many. It’s just a natural event to come about.”

Scott concurred and said, “This town and this community, if there’s a need, there’s a lot of generosity among us.”

Williams pointed out that with schedule changes, many people have more time on their hands. “We wanted to use that extra time to give back and show appreciation to those who have taken care of our community.”

The free sack meals are available for drive-through pick up from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., or until the meals run out, for those public servants and others continuing to work to keep the community going during the coronavirus pandemic.

 

 

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