Walnut Rotary to hold cookout to provide school supplies to Bureau Valley students

Half of the proceeds from Walnut Rotary’s upcoming cookout will be used to help purchase school supplies for Bureau Valley students, Club President Jan Pistole said.

In addition to the usual pork chop sandwiches, brats and hot dogs, Walnut Rotary will be serving pulled pork sandwiches. The cookout will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Veterans’ Memorial. Donations will be accepted.

“There are a number of great local organizations which provide school supplies to students at the beginning of each school year,” Pistole said. “However, the need for supplies is often continuous. Students find themselves short of the critical tools they need to be productive in school.”

Pistol added that teachers often find themselves stocking up on supplies to make sure all of the students’ needs are met.

“In such cases, our teachers frequently use their own funds to purchase additional supplies,” Pistole said. “We in the Rotary Club of Walnut heartily applaud our teachers’ devotion to their students, but feel they should not have to use their own money to see that our children have all the necessary school supplies.”

According to Pistole, the club was able to provide some additional supplies during the previous school year, but wasn’t aware of the shortages until the end of the year.

“This year, the Club felt it important to be proactive and lay in additional supplies for the teachers to access on an as-needed basis,” Pistole said. “Hence, our promise to use one-half of the proceeds from our August cookout to purchase supplies to be used throughout the school year, as necessary.”

The club hopes to see its community partners and cookout patrons support not only the BV students, but the students who continually go above and beyond their job description.

The Rotary Club of Walnut meets six times a month at the Walnut Cafe. For information on joining, email President Jan Pistole at jan@sunsetridgemx.com.