Plano Metro Rotary Club (PMRC) has not held an in-person meeting since early March—but that has not stopped its members from giving back to their community in its time of need.
Since the coronavirus crisis began, PMRC provided a total of $7,250 in grant funding to four local nonprofit organizations, in support of COVID-19 needs. Here is an overview of what was delivered:
Minnie’s Food Pantry - $1,250 (Matched by District 5810, for a total of $2,500)
PMRC provided its first COVID-19 grant to Minnie’s Food Pantry, a Plano-based nonprofit organization that provides healthy meals to North Texans in need, in April. The funds were doubled through a matching grant with Rotary District 5810. Each organization pledged $1,250, for a total of $2,500. PMRC club members also made personal cash donations totaling $400, volunteered time to prepare meals, and organized a food drive for the pantry. Minnie’s partnerships with food distribution companies allow them to purchase food at a reduced cost, so the organization is able to provide 3 meals for every $1 donated. This means that the total grant amount, $2,500 will pay for 7,500 meals—enough to provide about 3 meals a day, for seven days, to about 357 people.
Energized by this matching grant opportunity, PRMC’s Board of Directors approved a decision to donate an additional $6000 to area nonprofits, for the following beneficiaries:
City House - $2,500
City House provides emergency shelter and transitional residential services to children and young adults who are in need due to abuse, neglect or homelessness. The organization expressed a specific need for hotel rooms, to be used for Youth Resource Kids (ages 16-23). These young people previously were able to use City Park’s restrooms, but the facilities were locked due to shelter in place regulations. City House’s hotel partnerships gave the organization a special rate, allowing the $2500 grant to cover about 28 rooms.
Assistance Center of Collin County – $2,500
The Assistance Center helps families who have lost their jobs or have reduced income. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many new families began calling the organization for the first time. PMRC’s $2,500 donation will go toward helping those most in need with rent and utility payments, to keep families stably housed with no interruption in their utility connections.
Mosaic Family Services - $1,000
Mosaic Family Services is dedicated to serving survivors of human rights abuses from around the world and within our community. They create access to opportunities for clients, empowering them toward independence. Their services are vast, and COVID-19 has had a major impact. Currently, they are offering between 600-800 direct services to clients. PMRC’s financial donation will help provide food to families, purchase paper goods, and help with rent assistance, medication and utilities. Shirley Hsia, a PMRC member, made a personal donation of 70 masks, for clients and staff in Mosaic’s shelter and transitional housing.
“Rotary’s motto is ‘People of Action’ — and our members have definitely lived up to that name,” said Greg McKinney, PMRC President. “While we haven’t met in person, we’ve conducted weekly Zoom meetings, hosted virtual speakers, formed grant committees, and searched for new ways to get things done. We also realize that not every organization can simply ‘go virtual.’ Our local food pantries, shelter providers and assistance centers have continued serving their clients in person, every day. We are so grateful to them, and are honored to support these people of action in our community.”