Rotary Club of Marana Meeting April 27, 2021
This morning we took stock of our 2020-2021 Rotary Service Projects and are grateful to have had so many opportunities to touch lives.
- Handbags of Hope
- Oxygen Tanks for recipients in Nogales, Mex.
- Adopt a Family for the Holidays
- Air Purifiers for Special Needs Classrooms where kids have difficulty wearing masks
- Uganda Women Empowerment; IT Training
- Document Shredding and Electronics Recycling
- Peace Garden
- Rehabilitation of Assisted Living Home in Mexico devastated by the latest hurricane
- Economic Development in Malam-Petel, Cameroon
Happy Bucks:
- Harold had a lovely lunch with John and Sylvia Zwick and was very pleased with Sylvia’s rehabilitation progress.
- Joyce Zwick joined us from Canada and will be returning to AZ in June. The region is enduring a drought, impacting farming.
- Peter is happy.
- Denise is looking forward to the upcoming chance of rain.
- Andy is happy he received his 2nd vaccine, but lamenting Oregon is going into shut down with a surge in Covid numbers. He commented that Oregon recorded its driest Spring on record since 1963.
- Don is enjoying cool whether in Seattle. He ran a successful ½ marathon over the weekend.
- Laura was flummoxed that, while teaching a class remotely in the office next door, an office-mate had a health emergency, called an ambulance, paramedics entered, and paramedics left without Laura noticing a hint of something amiss. Geez. Happily, the health emergency resolved quickly.
- Mary was taking pleasure in the saguaro blossoms and her latest tomato count.
- Randy’s pleased his house is being painted and a closet built.
- Beckie delighted in granddaughter June’s 3rd birthday with a delightful birthday party by the zoo.
- Dan is doing a kitchen remodel and is very busy with developing a budget for the district.
- Lynne told us a joke she had to explain.
- Richie found new areas of his body that are susceptible to sunburn.
- John had a wonderful weekend with his son and grandsons camping and turkey hunting in Alpine. A grandson proudly bagged his first Tom.
Program
Laura introduced us to Cathy Lolwing, executive director of Felicia’s Farm. Cathy moved to Tucson in 2010 with her husband who works with the Arizona Daily Star. They have a 15 year old daughter and a rescue husky. Cathy has been with Felicia’s Farm since responding to their ad 10 years ago, “work in sunshine… help feed people.”
Felicia’s Farm was created by David Cutler to honor the memory of his wife, Felicia Ann Cutler, who died in 2009. She was a compassionate woman whose vision was to “feed people and teach them to feed themselves”.
A fitting legacy, David turned his backyard into Felicia’s Farm, and it has grown steadily since its humble beginnings. Currently the farm produces 700 pounds of organically grown produce and, with 700 hundred chickens, up to 2000 eggs per week, all of which is distributed at no cost.
The Mission of Felicia’s Farm is “to lift lives in Tucson.”
In 2019 one in five people in Tucson lived with food insecurity. The highest poverty rate was found in individuals below age 18. In South Tucson one out of two people had insufficient food. Since then, with the pandemic, poverty and food insecurity has only worsened.
Felicia’s Farms distributes their produce and eggs to community groups who serve, for example, the homeless, fleeing battered women, families, and seniors. These groups include
- Casa Maria that serves homeless
- Casa San Juan that serves families
- Lend a Hand that serves seniors
- Estes Park senior housing
- Pasqua Yaqui Services
Felicia’s Farm is also dedicated to environmental sustainability. They grow flowers to ensure bees for pollination. Cut flowers are then given to Senior Homes. The farm is currently on a well but will be implementing technology that draws humidity from the air.
Felicia’s Farm administrative costs are only 5% of their budget. The farm depends on the work of approximately 50 volunteers a week. Volunteering is flexible and doesn’t require scheduling. Show up and you will be put to work in the compost, making berms, painting, weeding, harvesting… All the things.
We thank Cathy for such an uplifting presentation and Felicia’s Farm for the heartfelt work it does in our communities.
Submitted by Mary Straus