On November 19th the Rotary Club of Kittery was honored to welcome back five people in our community who routinely are changing lives for the better. The Club welcomed Emily Flinkstrom, Megan Shapiro-Ross, Diana Marzinzik, Beth Guilbert, and Agnes Charlesworth to receive donations from the Club to support their respective organizations: Fair Tide, Footprints Food Pantry, Table of Plenty, Kittery Holiday Baskets, and Life and Hope Haiti.
The Rotary Club Meeting brought together a remarkable group of people who are making a significant impact. Emily Flinkstrom is the Director of Fair Tide which is doing so much to support affordable housing for those in need on the seacoast. Megan Shapiro-Ross is the Executive Director of Footprints Food Pantry which is providing food support now not only in Kittery and Eliot, but also South Berwick, Diana Marzinzik is the coordinator for Table of Plenty, providing hot meals (soon to be folded into the Mainspring Cooperative), Beth Guilbert has been a leading individual for Kittery Holiday Baskets for years, and Agnes Charlesworth is a major volunteer for Life and Hope Haiti, which supports the Eben Ezar School in Haiti.
Emily Flinkstrom provided us with an update on Fair Tide. Fair Tide and Footprints are the core groups in the new Mainspring Collabrative . The new six unit apartment complex adjacent the Mainspring building is almost ready to open and has tenants, who previously were homeless, ready to move in. The Mainspring building is also near completion with opening expected soon after the start of the new year. Footprints is working on reducing inventory at their store in preparation for the move (look for sales!)
Megan Shapiro-Ross reports that refrigeration units are now installed in the new complex in readiness for the move of Footprints. Footprints is now providing food support for both Eliot's students and for programs in South Berwick as well as the Kittery Area. She also reported that there has been a significant increase in the number of families they are serving.
Diana Marzinzik told us that the Table of Plenty will be folding into the Footprints portion of the new Mainspring Cooperative, but that for the near term they will continue serving at the Church. Dianais excited to start cooking on the new kitchen equipment at mainspring. The program is expected to continue to serve a majority of takeout meals.
Diana, Megan, and Emily talk about their organizations and Mainspring
Beth Guilbert, Kittery Holiday Baskets
According to Beth Guilbert, Kittery Holiday Baskets (KHB) has been serving the community for 68 years. The program is currently operating out of rooms in the Kittery Community Center, Eventually KHB will be joining the Mainspring Collabrative, they are currently serving about 100 children in the greater Kittery Area, with winter clothes and holiday toys.
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Kittery, Club co-President Brad Hirst presented each organization a donation check for $500.
Agnes reports on Eben Ezar School "For our Club sponsored children"
Almost 20 years ago a US resident, born in Haiti, returned to the homeland and started a small school to improve the opportunities in what is the poorest country in the hemisphere. Her effort was noted by a seacoast resident determined to help ~ who helped form a non-profit and enlisted support of individuals and seacoast organizations, including area Rotary Clubs. The school supported by Life and Hope Haiti now has over 550 students, new buildings, their own water system and sponsored teachers. One of the long time local volunteers, Agnes Charlesworth, reports that almost 150 of the children are sponsored by local Kittery individuals and organizations. Four of those children are sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kittery and President Brad presented Agnes a Club check for $1,000 to continue that sponsorship for the upcoming year.