Rotary spreads joy while delivering meals

Members of the Rotary Club of Delavan-Darien delivered more than just food during their recent week of helping with Meals on Wheels. With Safer-at-Home orders in place, local Rotary members, including Jenny Hundt, as Alf, aimed to surprise recipients with “smiles, joy and laughter, not just hot meals.” (Submitted photo)

The Rotary Club of Delavan Darien delivers Meals on Wheels whenever there is a fifth week in a month. That means the club’s volunteer delivery schedule last month occurred during the Safer-at-Home orders.

They came up with a way to make the delivery fun while abiding by social distancing guidelines in an effort to keep those helping with delivery, and those receiving meals, as safe and healthy as possible.

“With all us staying home the routine becomes even more mundane,” said Katherine Gaulke, president of the Rotary Club of Delavan Darien.

“We wanted to bring smiles, joy, and laughter, not just hot meals to the recipients,” she added.

Rotarian Becky Dreyer spearheaded the event, which featured club members dressed up in costumes to deliver the meals. They appeared as tacos, flamingos, a bunny, and even the television character Alf.

“I really enjoyed delivering the meals because I was able to bring an element of surprise and brighten their day,” club member Becky Dreyer said.

She said she also made an unexpected realization.

“I have realized that you can never have enough costumes on hand,” Dreyer said.

In other news, the Rotary Club of Delavan Darien has decided to move to virtual Zoom meetings for May and June. Zoom is accessible by phone, tablet or computer – permitted they have a camera – and is largely being utilized currently for meetings with so many people staying home.

The Rotary Club’s virtual meeting at noon on Wednesday, May 13 will feature guest speaker John Henderson, a member of the Rotary Club of Elkhorn. He will discuss how Rotary is helping to fight COVID-19 and how Rotary keeps people connected even while being apart physically.

The club will also recognize Delavan-Darien High School students of the month.

For more information and to RSVP to the meeting, visit Delavan Darien Rotary Club page on Facebook.

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