Rotary club members, volunteers pack 100,000 meals

MARQUETTE — A local organization recently celebrated its 100th birthday by helping out other people in the community and around the world who really need it.

Members of the Rotary Club of Marquette and hundreds of other volunteers gathered at Marquette Senior High School Saturday morning to make 100,000 meals. They were able to construct, pack, and box up all of the meals in under four hours.

“What we were trying to do is establish an ability for people who want to partake in community service to have an opportunity to do so,” said Brett Conklin, President of the Rotary Club of Marquette.

“A lot of people who would like to be involved in the community don’t know how to get involved. We’re trying to setup a way that they can be involved in and really make a difference, not only in our community, but across the world,” he added.

The International Rotary Club President was Saturday’s special guest. He was real impressed with how quickly everyone was able to put all of the meals together.

“They are doing there little bit to help some who they will never see,” said Ravi Ravindran, President of the International Rotary Club. “They’re providing all the principles of management into it because they way they’re doing it is that each person does a single part and the floor is so good.”

80% of the meals will be shipped to Guatemala and the rest of them will be distributed to Salvation Army stores in Marquette County.