Todd Zeltwanger explained what Cultivate is at the Plymouth Lions Club. It is a Food Rescue Mission for children in need in Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties. The food comes from food prepared but never served. For example, 2000 to 2500 lbs of food is picked up after every Notre Dame game and taken to what was the Madison Center in South Bend on Niles Ave. for distribution. The food is repackaged in microwave safe containers and delivered to the schools on Friday. Each child in need will receive a backpack filled with six meals for the weekend that can be reheated in the microwave. Other locations donating include the Century Center, Four Winds, and other local restaurants. Since July 2017, 250,000 lbs of food have been utilized. The cost to sponsor a backpack is $35 a month.
Tanner Feece and his aunt Denise Feece presented pictures and experiences of their European trip this past July. Twenty Seven students and sponsors from the European History Class at P.H.S. traveled to Europe. It is hoped that if a student found a particular area that they liked, they might want to come back and do a semester abroad. The first stop was London with a tour guide, then on to St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, several other locations in London, then on to France, Paris, and Italy. The students in this class are allowed to participate in the European Trip every other year. They shared their various experiences and enjoyment of the entire adventure.
The Plymouth Lions Club received a grant from the Marshall County Community Center for $3000 which will assist with the purchase of a new pediatric auto refractor to perform vision screenings on young school-age children in the Marshall County Schools, preschools, and Head Start programs. The total cost of the new equipment is $5,987.00, and with the $3000 grant and the $500 trade-in for the old equipment from the equipment manufacturer, the Plymouth Lions will contribute the balance of $2,487.00.
The Lions Clubs international motto is “We Serve.” Locally, in addition to providing KidSight vision screenings, the Plymouth Lions Club supports three scholarships to graduating seniors, purchases and distributes dictionaries to third-grade students; provides financial support to provide eye exams and glasses for needy children and donates to a variety of organizations and causes throughout the community. The club also supports state projects such as cancer research, diabetes awareness, speech and hearing conversation, and the Indiana Lions Eye Bank. In 1925, Helen Keller challenged the Lions to be “Knights for Sight”, and since then, the Lions have been known the world over for their service of the sight-challenged through the Leader Dog program, Lions Eye Bank program, KidSight vision screenings and SightFirst mission programs to provide eyeglasses to third world countries. If you or anyone you know would like to join the Plymouth Lions Club, please contact any Lions Club member.
Submitted by Susan Eggleston
