Milton Rotary

10/14/2026

On Monday, Past District Governor Jeff Coup inducted our newest member,
Captain Alyxandra Allen into the Milton Rotary Club. Lexxie was a member of the Canandaigua, NY club previous to coming to Milton.

She is already active with the club, helping with one of the many litter routes in the downtown. Her proposer was Rick Coup, but he was unable to be there for the meeting, so President Amy stood in for him. Congratulations and WELCOME Lexxie!

10/13/2026

At Monday's meeting, our guest speaker, Karla Alexander, Executive Director of AGAPE, shared the remarkable story of an organization built on the belief that no one in need should fall through the cracks. Karla began volunteering with AGAPE in 2009 and became its Executive Director in 2024. Founded to bring local churches and community resources together under one roof, AGAPE has grown into a vital regional organization dedicated to identifying needs, coordinating assistance, and providing hope to individuals and families facing difficult circumstances. Its mission is simple but powerful: to fill the gaps where other services may not exist and to help people move toward stability and self-sufficiency.

Karla emphasized that hardship does not discriminate and that homelessness and financial insecurity rarely fit the stereotypes we imagine. A medical emergency, unexpected job loss, car repair, or family crisis can quickly change someone's circumstances. AGAPE meets people where they are, without judgment, evaluating each individual's situation and providing practical assistance. Its services include food distribution, emergency financial assistance, hygiene and pet supplies, household furnishings, disaster relief, and financial literacy education. Its Fresh Express food distributions alone serve an average of 700 families per event. Karla shared several moving examples of individuals and families who, through AGAPE's assistance and partnerships with other community organizations, were able to regain employment, secure housing, and rebuild their lives.

Looking ahead, AGAPE is working to strengthen collaboration among regional nonprofits, including developing a Columbia-Montour food cooperative and expanding its role as a distribution hub for organizations serving those in need. Because AGAPE relies on donations, grants, volunteers, and community partnerships rather than direct government funding, it has the flexibility to respond to circumstances that might otherwise leave someone ineligible for assistance. Karla reminded us that the strength of our communities lies in people and organizations working together, not only when disaster strikes, but every day.

AGAPE's work is a wonderful reflection of Rotary's commitment to Service Above Self: recognizing a need, bringing people together, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of our neighbors.

10/07/2026

On Monday, President Amy introduced our guest speaker, Carol Ferguson, for the World’s Greatest Meal today. Our lunch monies will be donated to the World’s Greatest Meal with a 2 for 1 donation by the Gates Foundation which will mean our monies will buy thousands of doses of polio vaccine. Carol is a polio survivor who had a rather mild case of the virus the year before the Salk polio vaccine became available for children. She had mild disabilities with one leg being shorter than the other and with her foot not being strong enough to always raise properly which caused lots of falls. As she has gotten older, she developed post-polio syndrome and decided to found The Pennsylvania Polio Survivors Network. Post-polio syndrome has many of the same symptoms as the initial polio infection. Carol is a member of the Downingtown Rotary Club and active in getting the word out that polio can be eradicated through vaccination.

Carol reminded everyone as she began her Power Point presentation with the statement: “There is NO cure for polio.” Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease and recovery is different for every victim. Rotary began steps in 1985 to take on eradicating polio from the earth. Polio Plus has grown to one of the largest immunization programs worldwide. There are two types of polio vaccines currently used to fight polio: the inactivated polio vaccine is the only one give in the USA. The other vaccine is the oral polio vaccine which is given by drops in the mouth and used in many parts of the world. It does contain a small amount of live virus. Children need 4 doses of vaccine to be fully vaccinated against polio for life. Carol also gave numerous examples of survivors living with post-polio syndrome and also of the work that her organization has done to promote vaccination with packet hand-outs and by working with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania.

Carol ended her talk with displaying her website, the PA Polio Network: www.polionetwork.org. “No child should suffer from a vaccine preventable disease!”

10/06/2026

At Monday's Meeting, our September Vocational Students of the Month were presented by Chairperson, Andree Clinger.

Blake Jones was the student from Warrior Run accompanied by his teacher, Chloe Whitmoyer, of the agriculture program. Blake said he has been in the program for 4 years and also attended LYCT for 2 years. He is currently working in a coop program at Whitmoyer Cattle Farms. He is the Vice President of the WR FFA and hopes to achieve the Keystone Farmer designation this year. Mrs. Whitmoyer said that Blake is the ideal student and she has been fortunate to have him for 4 years. He is self-motivated and loves what he is doing. He hopes to study electrical technologies at Penn College and become an electrician.

Our Milton Vocational Student is Zack Lloyd who was accompanied by his teacher, Nate Persing, head of the automotive technologies program. Zack has been in the auto shop for 4 years and is very much a self-starter. He is currently working in a coop program with Watsontown Trucking where he loves working on trucks and engines. Mr. Persing said he will be an excellent employee as he is self-motivated and will ask for help if there is a problem. He hopes to work in repairing trucks after high school.

Congratulations to Blake and Zack!

09/29/2026

Milton Rotary Club members recently had an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the region’s most recognizable food producers during a tour of Furmano Foods in Northumberland. Members were guided through the operation by Dan Severn, Vice President of Agricultural Operations, Mike Stahl, Vice President of Operations, and fellow Milton Rotarian Jason Letteer, Corporate R&D Chef.

The visit offered Rotarians a fascinating look at a fourth-generation, family-owned company whose roots in Central Pennsylvania stretch back more than a century. Furmano’s began in 1921, when the Furman family canned just 360 glass jars of tomatoes during its first year. Today, the company ships approximately 5 million cases of vegetables and employs about 350 people.

Strong Ties to Pennsylvania Agriculture
Agriculture remains at the heart of Furmano’s operation. Approximately 90% of the tomatoes processed by the company are grown in Pennsylvania, with the remaining 10% primarily coming from New Jersey. Furmano’s works with approximately 30 growers, maintaining the close grower relationships that have been an important part of the company throughout its history.
Beans are another significant part of the business. Furmano’s handles approximately 70 million pounds of beans and produces roughly 170 bean products representing 14 varieties. Beans are sourced from approximately 14 states and arrive at the Northumberland facility by rail.

An Impressive Production Operation
The tour gave Rotary members a much better appreciation for the scale and complexity involved in turning agricultural products into the familiar cans and pouches found in restaurants, institutions and grocery stores.
One particularly interesting fact shared during the tour is that Furmano’s is the largest consumer of water in Northumberland County. Water plays an important role throughout the operation, including vegetable processing, cleaning, cooling and canning.
Furmano’s has also grown far beyond its Central Pennsylvania roots. Its products are distributed nationally and internationally, reaching markets as far away as Australia.

Innovation While Maintaining Tradition
While cans remain an important part of the business, Furmano’s continues to invest in new products, processes and packaging, including shelf-stable pouches. The company also maintains a research and development function focused on developing products and responding to changing customer needs.
Throughout the tour, continuous improvement was a recurring theme—not only in manufacturing and efficiency, but throughout the organization.
Just as evident were the values behind the business. Furmano’s leadership spoke about practicing biblical principles, producing great-tasting and nutritious foods, providing exceptional service and continually improving. Those principles are reflected in the company’s emphasis on its employees, growers, customers and community.

A Local Success Story
For Milton Rotary members, the visit provided an interesting look at how a small family farming and canning operation established more than 100 years ago has grown into a sophisticated food producer with national and international reach.
Having fellow Rotarian Jason Letteer help lead the tour provided an added connection between the club and a major local employer that remains firmly rooted in Central Pennsylvania agriculture, family ownership and community.

09/22/2026

Mark your calendars....tickets are now available!

09/21/2026

TO COOKING TONIGHT..... support Milton Rotary by planning to eat-in, mobile pick-up or driving thru Lewisburg Wendy's TONIGHT Monday September 21st from 5:00pm-8:00pm!

Wendy's will donate 10% of your purchase to Milton Rotary! PLEASE SHARE!!!!

09/20/2026

NO COOKING MONDAY NIGHT!!!!

09/16/2026

Kevin was our speaker back in March or this year and demonstrated the Ball 2 for our club! Be sure to check out their pitch on Shark Tank at the end of the month! Very cool!

See the Ball 2 “pitch” on the Shark Tank premiere, Sept 30th at 9pm!

09/16/2026

Mondays are hard.....why not take the night off from cooking and support Milton Rotary by planning to eat-in, mobile pick-up or driving thru Lewisburg Wendy's on Monday September 21st from 5:00pm-8:00pm!

Wendy's will donate 10% of your purchase to Milton Rotary! PLEASE SHARE!!!!