The Rotary Club of Bellingham teamed with Children of the Nations for a meal-packing event to benefit students in Sierra Leone. The Club’s original goal was to pack 30,000 meals in 3 hours and to raise $9,000 to fund this initiative. They exceeded that goal by raising $10,400 and packing 41,256 meals in less than 3 hours on May 4th, 2024 in the Assumption Catholic School Gymnasium in Bellingham, Washington. 102 volunteers including Rotarians plus volunteers from the community came together to accomplish this feat Why Sierra Leone? It is a lush tropical country on the west coast of Africa that boasts beautiful beaches, picturesque mountains, and some of the richest natural resources and mineral deposits (including diamonds) in the world, but it is also one of the poorest countries in the world. It consistently ranks as one of the least developed countries on the United Nations Human Development Index. It also has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world (children dying before reaching age five). | 
