SOUTHWICK — Because the operation of the Polverari Animal Control Facility is largely funded by donations, the Rotary Club of Southwick will be at the Police Department on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon to collect supplies and financial contributions.
“This is part of the Rotary Club’s EPIC Day of Service,” said Club President Bob Fox about one of the reasons the club is hosting Saturday’s event.
He said Rotary International each year has its clubs around the world take part in a global day of service.
Fox said the club has used the day in past years to gather food items and donations for the Our Community Food Pantry and its members decided on helping the animal shelter this year.
He said members of the club will set up in the parking lot at the police station on Depot Street for the collection effort.
Some of the items the club is looking for are cat litter, pet toys, tethered balls, paper towels, cat towers, cleaning supplies, canopies for shade, and food for cats and dogs.
“And, of course, will also be accepting donations to purchase medicines used in the shelter,” Fox said.
The collection will also be another opportunity for the Rotary Club to demonstrate its support for the town.
“We’re really about helping one another and the community,” he said.
The club is always on the lookout for new members, Fox said, adding that the club once had 40 active members but now it has 15.
In years past, a person wanting to join the club needed to be sponsored by another member and the members had to represent different professions.
While Fox said the current members are from diverse backgrounds, the sponsorship requirement and that members come from a variety of businesses and professional fields are not required by the club any longer.
“That’s gone by the wayside. We’ve evolved since then,” Fox said of the former club membership requirements.
The club now is a space where its members can meet socially while also demonstrating the two Rotary Club mottos, “Service Above Self” and “He Profits Most Who Serves Best.”
Fox wanted to remind people about some of the good works the club in town and those around the world do.
He said Rotary International has partnered for decades with the Gates Foundation to continue to eradicate the scourge of polio throughout the world.
Those collective efforts have seen polio cases decrease by over 99% since 1988
According to the World Health Organization, in 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio in more than 125 countries. In 2021, there were reported cases of it.
And locally, the club continues offering its summer concert series and continued the annual Steak Roast when there was talk of not holding another.
“We kept that going,” Fox said.
Club members also pick up trash along the town’s streets once a month.
He encouraged anyone interested in joining to stop by the police station on Saturday or attending a meeting. They are held at 6:15 at Tucker’s Restaurant the first and third Wednesday of the month.
