Next Meeting - Tuesday, Nov.7, at Festival Foods on E. Washington Ave., at 11:30AM. This will be a Business Meeting. We can expect news from the Bags Tournament, plus whatever other pots may be boiling at the moment.

Word comes from SCOTT GROVER, Highway Cleanup chairman, that we did our part for County Hwy. TT a few days ago. A hardy crew, Linda, David, John, Kevin, Mike, and Scott were joined by two of our Oregon colleagues, Woody and Jim, and we picked up nine bags of trash, several tools possibly left by construction, and some metal junk. We did not pick up the construction signs and there was no comment about golf balls or liquor bottles this time. Weather was brisk, the job got done, and the Editor suspects the workers were glad to get back inside.

Milton Lions are in the midst of a huge vision screening project for their schools, and they still have need of volunteers during the next few weeks. Go here for the signup sheet.

As reported by SCOTT GROVER'S special message, we urgently need some place to park the Bags Tournament boards. If you don't have garage space, do you know someone who does? Or a shed. Or a boat barn. Or something.

Our last meeting, way back on Oct. 17, started with the introduction of the program speaker, Amy, from the River Pantry, by David York, standing in for LINDA BERGREN, the Program Host. She gave us an overview of the Pantry's operation in general, descending into some very interesting specifics along the way. To the Editor, it seemed to be a large, well organized enterprise ,supplying a basic need, food for the hungry, in an efficient but compassionate (those two seem incompatible in many charitable efforts) manner. They go through 48,000 pounds of food each week, partly through distributions from their base locations and partly by operating a mobile lunch for 300-400 kids on weekends when school lunches are not open. They had found that many of these kids didn't get lunch unless it came from the school. If you've never really thought about all this, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Obviously, they have to get the food. It comes from various sources, including Second Harvest, local businesses and individuals. Much as they welcome donations in kind, it is labor intensive to sort, shelve and distribute these items, and they have places to buy food at wholesale prices. (Editor's comment - It follows, therefore, that unless the item collection is teaching kids how to help others, it is better to donate cash than to go to the grocery and get items at retail to donate. Food pantries will gladly take whatever is donated, but..you get the point.)

To assure that needs are equitably met, they do have a system. They identify the families they serve and record their visits. There are amount limits, mostly by weight, and frequency limits, but there is also common sense (example: if a client family gets another person in the household, the limit is adjusted accordingly) and compassion - their clients are treated like customers, with smiling faces and judgment free.

For some of us who don't encounter it often, it is hard to believe that there are people in beautiful Madison who don't have enough to eat. And kids who come to school without breakfast. It was good to hear that someone is working on it.