The Ken 11/7/2022
Director: Linda Sroka
Table Attendance: Rick Graham
Fine Master: President Brandon
Invocation: Chuck Patterson
The Ken: Donna DiFrancesco
President Brandon called the meeting to order at 12:21 p.m. with a gentle gong and the Pledge
to the Flag. Chuck led our very small group in prayer.
Announcements: Chuck requests grant applications for the foundation be submitted by
Thanksgiving week (11/21) and Brandon noted that Charities grant request deadline was
November 1. The board meeting will be this coming Friday 11/11 at 8 a.m. in the Ken-Ton
Chamber office and those requests will be discussed. Upcoming speakers will be: November 14,
Lizzie Sneed from NY Project Hope and November 28 Russ Ward from Military Order of the
Purple Heart. There will be NO MEETING on 11/21 in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Larry asked Brandon to pass along the information on the Service Clubs Joint Thanksgiving
Celebration which will be held on Tuesday November 15 at the Grill at the Dome. Reservations
are requested by Tuesday 11/8 and can be given to Larry to pass along to Dan Wiles. The cost is
$25 per person along with a new unwrapped toy.
Rick announced our speaker, Mark Baetzhold from Heart, Love & Soul, located at 939 Ontario
Ave. in Niagara Falls. Mark has been the executive director for 2 years. They were founded
almost 40 years ago to “feed those in need-body, mind & soul” by a prayer group from Sacred
Heart Parish. It started as a food pantry that grew into a dining program where they prepared
meals to ship to off-site locations. They now have a community health nurse on staff who
provides medication management, will take people to appointments, and provide basic care.
They provide daily breakfast and lunch, have a food pantry and a necessary shop and a
community garden. In 2021, they provided over 38,000 pantry meals and over 35,000 daily
meals. Going into the future, they are looking into ways to be proactive regarding food
insecurities. They are looking to expand their front entrance and pantry and create pathways to
health and wellness. You can visit their website for more information and ways to help at
www.heartloveandsoul.org. Mark was a very interesting speaker.
The split club of $7 was won by Bill, who picked his own ticket, and Brandon’s number was
picked for the Ace. Fortunately, he picked the 2 of Spades so we all have a chance next week!
Brandon then quizzed us on “Are you smarter than a 5 th grader?” questions. Donna remarked
that Brandon was the only one in the room closer to 5 th grade, and got fined for that comment.
Out of all the questions, I think we may have missed one. We are a pretty smart group!
Meeting was adjourned at 1:20.