The Rotary Club of Weston and Wayland (RCWW) distributed over 800 pounds of watermelons to food pantry clients in Weston, Wayland and Lincoln for the Fourth of July.
The Rotary’s newly formed Food Security Team, along with many volunteers from the community, partnered with the Trinitarian Congressional Church food pantry in Wayland and the St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) Food Pantry of Lincoln and Weston.
“The news recently has been so full of stories about people struggling to feed their families that we started calling around to see what the local pantries needed,” said Mark Messina, co-chair of the Food Security Team. ”‘Something special for the Fourth of July,’ was the answer SVdP Pantry Chair Karen Boyce came up with, hoping to bring some joy and fun to clients who have had an especially difficult spring.”
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Jason Deveau and the members of the produce department at Donelan’s Supermarket in Lincoln were generous in both pricing and coordinating the logistics for the pantry distribution.
“Jason and his team made sure everything ran smoothly and allowed our volunteers to pick up chilled melons each day,” said John Marchiony, the incoming Rotary Club president who also volunteered for a couple hours at the pantry.
Rotarians and volunteers from several communities contributed 26 hours over two days and distributed almost 100 watermelons along with hand-decorated Fourth of July Celebration Bags created by the Lincoln Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts included cookies and many patriotic treats such as glow-in-the-dark bracelets and flags and other items to celebrate the Fourth. The Celebration Bags were especially well received by all.
A special thank you to Rotarian Richard DeVito Jr. for challenging the Rotary Club to raise $400 for the July 4th food pantry event. In exchange, he volunteered to get a buzz cut live on Zoom during a weekly Rotary meeting. His wife Brenda, also a Rotarian, performed the shearing. Rotarians and friends of Rotary met and exceeded the challenge and raised over $500 for the food pantry event.
The Trinitarian Congressional Church food pantry in Wayland recently opened to Wayland residents and congregants. The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, based out of St. Julia Parish in Weston, was founded in 2005 to serve clients who live, work or go to school in Lincoln or Weston. Over the years, the number of clients increased steadily, and toward the end of 2017 they saw an additional large increase in the number of people seeking assistance with food needs and financial support. It became clear they could no longer serve them well in the limited space available. A major expansion was completed in 2018 and the pantry now has the capacity to offer not only shelf stable foods, but also an abundance of fresh produce donated from local farms like Land’s Sake Farm in Weston, Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, and the Food Project of Lincoln, as well as eggs, dairy, yogurt, and frozen fish and meats.
“Working with Mark and the Rotary Club was a lot of fun,” said Tomasina Lucchese, vice president of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln/Weston. “We are so appreciative of their support! Their generous gift of watermelons, a fruit which we rarely offer to our clients, was such a treat for the families. It was a beautiful gesture -- a warm welcome into summer! But the greatest part of working in collaboration with outside groups, like the RCWW, is the opportunity to connect with kind, passionate and capable people who share our mission. Thank you so much.”
If you or someone you know is in need of food or emergency financial support, contact the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at 781-899-2611, ext. 4, or 
svdplincolnweston@gmail.com. All communications are confidential.
If you would like to support the food pantry, please drop off any non-perishable food donations in the containers behind 142 Lincoln Road. Monetary donations for food and emergency financial assistance can be made out to St. Vincent de Paul and sent to PO Box 324, Lincoln MA 01773.
To join members of the Rotary Club of Weston and Wayland in making a difference in our community, click here or reach out to our leadership team through president@WestonWaylandrotary.org.
