The year 2020 was one of “thinking outside the box” for many of our Rotary clubs. COVID-19 has caused us to change how we do things, without losing our mission of “service above self." The Wachusett Area club has had to do just that with one of our favorite events.
Every December, for as long as we can remember, we have treated our senior citizens to a holiday breakfast. It was a day to look forward to, for seniors and Rotarians alike. Many groups became involved in this effort – from the young scout troops that created the lovely table decorations, to the high school choruses that filled the banquet hall with the sounds of the season. Rotarians and family members were involved in cooking and serving their elders. The hall was always a bustle of activity on that day as we served several hundred guests in 20 minutes or less. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, that type of celebration just couldn’t happen this year– at least, not in that way.
Our club's Senior Breakfast Committee, led by Richard Traina and Savvas Fotiadis, met and planned an alternate event. This Valentine’s Day, we will be hosted a Drive-by event at three of our local Senior Centers. We ”served" a lasagna for two - complete with chocolate-dipped strawberries and candies - that our seniors brought home to enjoy. Savvas cooked the lasagna in the kitchen of his West Boylston restaurant, The Manor, enlisting the help of the club and their family members. Club members Jack Chandler and Tracy Gagnon led their army of volunteers, to distribute the meals to the senior centers along with bags of treats put together by our West Boylston High School Interact Club. We will also gifted cards made by several student groups, including the Life Skills Program at Wachusett High.
There were 430 senior citizens signed up for their Valentine’s Day meals. We were so excited for this event, which has really brought together young and old in a wonderfully new way!
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