Los Lunas Rotary Club members Heather Benavidez, George Greenlee and George Hobbs prepare to meet Clothes for Kids participants along with Camille Griego, Los Lunas Schools parent-community liaison.
LOS LUNAS — The Rotary Club of Los Lunas has been providing clothing to children for more than 20 years. Even the pandemic could not stop this effort, although in 2020 the club had to be a bit more creative to pull it off.
Resuming its pre-COVID practice, Rotary members were again matched up with students and taken on a $100 clothes shopping spree at Walmart in Los Lunas.
Working with the Los Lunas Schools to identify those in need, Camille Griego, the Los Lunas Schools parent-community liaison wrote in a letter to the club, “Your organization is amazing! Thank you for your partnership and support for the students and families in our community!”
Utilizing an annual pancake breakfast fundraiser, the club has been able to increase the available number of sponsored students from 60 to 80. This year, the fundraiser far outpaced its financial goals and the club raised more than $18,000 from both ticket sales and the generous sponsorship of local businesses and individuals.
As the club quickly realized that it would be a logistical problem to simply increase the number of served students, George Greenlee, the club president and the coordinator for the annual event said, “This is really great problem to have!”
The solution was for the club to collaborate with other non-profit groups in the Los Lunas area. St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church and Peralta Memorial United Methodist Church both have Christmas Clothing programs and Valencia Shelter Services always has a need for clothing for displaced families.
“The Lord provides us opportunities that we do not always see for ourselves,” said Rev. Robert Mundy, the club’s past president and vicar of St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church. St. Matthew’s will use the money to purchase clothing for children in need identified by members of their congregation.
Peralta Methodist works with the Women’s Recovery Program, and their allocated monies will be used to purchase clothing for children whose parents are in substance abuse rehab. Connie Irwin, the incoming club president, coordinated the effort with Peralta Methodist.
“Every child, regardless of circumstance, deserves clothing — all the more so in winter,” Irwin said.
“We are so very thankful for our event sponsors,” Greenlee added. “Their generous donations are being put to work right here in our community. The club looks forward to continuing this worthwhile program for many years to come.”
Information on the club is available online at rotaryloslunas.org. Rotary meets at noon each Tuesday at Ribs Restaurant in Los Lunas.
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April 19, 2024
