Rotary  Club of New Berlin, New Berlin Rotary, New Berlin Food PantryHelping out at the food pantry
 
Rotarians and New Berlin National Honor Society students lend a hand for a good cause on Saturday, Dec. 3. For two hours that morning, volunteers sorted and stacked food collected by residents of New Berlin's Weatherstone subdivision. The collection filled 19.5 barrels, totaling an estimated 5,580 pounds. Almost all was food, but a number of personal care items were donated as well. The Weathstone drive, held in December, has been taking place for more than 30 years.
 
In addition to the Weatherstone collection, members of New Berlin West's National Honor Society chipped in with their donation. According to Anna, a senior at West, each Honor Society member received one Society point for each item donated. Some students donated 10 items, she said. The collection, held in November, netted 301 items. This was the first year for their collection. "We'll try to make it an annual event," Anna said. Eight Honor Society members helped out at the food pantry on Saturday.

The first step is to check the expiration date. Any food item more than six months beyond expiration must be discarded. Items are then shelved by type and expiration year. The New Berlin food pantry serves 132 families each month; this collection is expected to last into February.
Rotary  Club of New Berlin, New Berlin Rotary
 
Rotarians participating were (front row) Carmelita Stehr and Stephanie Friemoth. Back row: Dianne Moore, Shawn Schnabl and Tom Fuszard. This is the fourth consecutive year our club has assisted with the project. The Weatherstone collection is the second largest for the food pantry. Even larger is the annual postal service collection, held in May.