News Release
On Sept. 28 the Mountain Empire Rotary Club (MER) held another free Community Dinner at the Fairgrounds in Sonoita. These dinners are sponsored by the Club to bring awareness of food insecurities for those in the area and help provide food items to our local Food Pantry, located at the crosswords in Sonoita near the Post Office. Attendees at the dinner were encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to the event to donate to the Food Pantry. Residents can also make a monetary donation to the Food Pantry. MER plans to continue to sponsor the community dinners to support the Food Pantry, so be sure and check the PRT newsletter, the MER Facebook page, or flyers that are posted for future dates.
Earlier this year, MER sponsored the purchase and installation of air conditioning in the Food Pantry, and is helping with installation of refrigeration units for fresh vegetables and fruit.
As part of our efforts to provide educational opportunities to students in our community, MER held their annual Career Fair for Patagonia High School and Middle School students, as well as middle school students from Elgin School, on October 24. Students were able to talk with a variety of representatives to gain insight into the work that is involved in their occupations, as well as meet with representatives from local colleges, vocational schools, and military recruiters. Some of the presenters worked in interior design, real estate, architecture, wildlife research, and journalism.
Wrapping up the event, the Rotary Club held a raffle where students had a chance to win an Amazon gift card, which is always a favorite with the students. Many thanks go out to the vendors and the school staff members who made this such a success this year.
MER has also been continuing the Patagonia High School “Class of the Month” award program as part of our support for educational programs for the youth in our community. MER sponsors the monetary award for the class, chosen by the Patagonia School staff. The class is then allowed to spend the money on an activity of their choice. Congrats to all the winners this year!
MER has also been busy selling raffle tickets for a drawing to be held December 19.The Prize is a 5.0 cubic chest freezer filled with assorted cuts of local beef. Rotarians have been attending community events to sell the tickets, but they can also be purchased by selecting the QR code on the flyers posted around the community, on the MER Facebook page, and in the PRT. You can also purchase a ticket and get more information about the raffle by contacting Kati Spencer at kati@twistedunionwinecompany.com.
Keep an eye out for more MER news and events after the first of the year, the MER Club has a lot of events planned to support our community members and especially our youth. MER invites anyone from the community to attend our meetings and learn more about Rotary. We meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month from 5:30pm-7pm. There is always food and fun at our meetings.
And remember, if you have an issue in the community that you think Rotary can help you with, don’t hesitate to contact MER. We are here to listen and hopefully help. If you want to know more about Rotary, or attend a meeting feel free to contact Keith Barth at judgebarth@gmail.com.