Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Bill Dowd, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Tony Morris, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Andy Leyhane.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed members. … He announced that because of social restrictions during the pandemic we will not hold our annual Holiday Party & Gift Basket Auction. … Project coordinator Bill Dowd reported that the annual Adopt-a-Family effort is going extremely well. He delivered a carload of donated gifts for our two families to Circles of Mercy on Wednesday. He will be at Quigley’s from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Friday to accept last-minute donations, then deliver a second carload of gifts to Circles on Monday. He expressed appreciation for the generosity of Rotarians, family members, and friends who donated gifts. …

Bill Dowd also researched local food pantries and recommended a lineup of four for the club to award grants of $460 each from treasury funds earmarked for the purpose. Treasurer Murray Forth will send checks to (1.) Food for Families (which serves families throughout the East Greenbush Central School District); (2.) CoNSERNS-U (a food pantry operated out ot the City of Rensselaer by Catholic Charities Tri-County Services ); (3.) The Anchor Food Pantry (a pantry and thrift store service of the Cooperative Christian Ministries of Schodack), and (4.) Doors of Hope (a West Sand Lake community-based food pantry and thrift store). … We have $1,300 accrued from CLYNK beverage deposit returns and member donations for ShelterBox. When we ascertain the new mailing address we will send out a check. …

Phil Kellerman says the specialty coffees sale is going well, and Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez said the scented soaps sale also is doing well. … An individual has donated $250 to cover a request from Goff Middle School for funding gift card appreciation awards for staff in recognition of efforts during the pandemic. … We had not budgeted financial support for this year’s RYLA program. However, school response to it was weak because of the pandemic and necessity to move it to a virtual platform. District 7190 is hoping to hold a truncated in-person program in April and May of 2021 if public health rules allow it. We will consider some sort of student funding if that actually comes to pass. … Our last ZOOM meeting of 2000 will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, December 17. We will be on hiatus during the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s.