BARONA DINAPOLI (above)

We Don't Waste's Director of Community Engagement spoke to the Noon Meeting this past week. Her message: the importance of addressing food waste from demand to supply and noting how small movements can have large impacts.

This small to large idea is illustrated in the butterfly effect which stems from Edward Lorenz’s work on Chaos Theory: “small changes to a complex system’s initial conditions can produce dramatically different outcomes.” Interestingly, Lorenz was a meteorologist studying weather changes. You may have heard of his famous idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could whip up a tornado in Texas. This fascinating concept has shifted in its use in popular culture. Now, when we refer to the butterfly effect, we are discussing how small actions can create large, lasting impacts. 

At We Don’t Waste, there are so many moving parts required for food to efficiently get to people in need. This combined effort of staff, food donors, nonprofit partners, and dedicated volunteers would not be possible without generous donors. 

So, how exactly does food get distributed? The team picks up food donations from grocery stores and other distributors in a fleet of trucks, then organizes and stores the goods in the Food Recovery Hub.   

It takes a lot of time and effort for food to ultimately reach the plate of someone in need. As food prices rise, it is even clearer how necessary this complex process is. Without this work, our neighbors would lose access to thousands of servings of food each week.

When giving back, the butterfly effect causes a series of positive ripples in the community, but it also ripples back to you! Giving back is great for your community connection, your happiness, and your self-worth. One “small” action can reach so many people in our community. Plus, when actions make us feel good, positive reinforcement pushes us to take that action again. So, the more you give back, the more you’ll want to! The more we all give back, the stronger our community gets. Our club presented a check to We Don’t Waste that was gratefully acknowledged.

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                    Greg Moody Critic-at-Large

Former TV star Greg Moody gave our Noon Club the benefit of decades of experience as a member of the media blending it into compelling food for thought. He had many anecdotes to share but one of the funniest was his being mistaken for food critic Tom Martino (his doppelgänger) at a Denver restaurant. Evidently the restraunt owner was incensed that “Martino” would return after having published a scathing review. Moody cleared up the restaurant owner’s confusion but then had the temerity to ask: “so what did Tom say?” Happily, his dinner was comped anyway. 

Asked where he goes for his news sources, Greg cited his habit of rising at 5:51am and reading The Guardian, The NY Times opinion section and then reviewing the Apple digest of news sources. Favorite movies? He loves the silent films by Lloyd, Keyton, and Chaplin. Of the talkies, one of his favorites is Raiders of the Lost Arc. Some of us might take exception to his contending that only one comedy (Annie Hall) has won the Oscar for Best Picture but that's what a great teacher does…inspires discussion!

Mr. Moody now teaches at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at DU along with our own Sue Bramley and says that he loves it!

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The Apple was passed from Lorraine to Dick Harsh (above) for his dedicated work on Solar Panels for Ukraine, membership on the steering committee, and help with the Electronics Recycling event. 

Notes from a recent meeting:

Carol gave several Rotarian Magazine examples of how our support of RIs annual fund, Polio Plus, and Paul Harris Fellows fund are used around the world. This was a perfect lead into John Kennett's pitch on the importance of financial support to RI. He explained well how to automatically contribute and stressed that we have matching funds for anyone wanting to work toward their $1000 Paul Harris Fellow award. See Win if you are interested.

*Judy announced 134.5 volunteer hours for April. We are allowed to count non-Rotary member hours if they work on Rotary projects. Turn in or email your May hours to Judy by May 29th.

*Lorraine announced her upcoming trip to Santa Maria Girls' School. Gail reported that the Peace Pole at Wind Crest proposal is gaining support from the residents. Dan and Anita are happy that their Korean granddaughter will be attending high school in America.

*The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club (our sponsor) has approved our dues assessment for next year. We can keep our $240/member/year dues and still have a cushion for our expenses and small projects that are unfunded by the Foundation. Be sure that your dues are up to date. July 1 marks the beginning of our next quarter.

***Judy wants to invite all of you to attend her brother's (Jim McCutcheon) classical guitar recital on Saturday, June 20th, 10:30 - 11:30 am in the Fireside Lounge. He's a pro - don't miss it! 

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

What a great success, thanks for our lobby attendants for their help sorting items and urging voluntary contributions. We netted over $1700 which will reach the noon club's Foundation (501(c)(3) in due course. (See the photo below of Judy, Reuben David, and the full U-Haul truck). We not only collected 1500 pounds of items from about 150 current residents but an additional 500 pounds of equipment that WC staff has accumulated from departed residents.

Sunrise Club

We celebrate a New Novelist!