New Bern Breakfast Rotary & the RCS Community Kitchen

On the first and fifth (when there is one) Friday morning  of each month volunteers from the New Bern Breakfast Rotary gather in the RCS Community Kitchen in New Bern to prepare and serve a hot lunch to roughly 100 people who are in need.

Like most towns and cities, New Bern has a community of people who for a variety of reasons are homeless. We are fortunate to have a wonderful not-for-profit known as RCS that provides temporary housing for some of the homeless in our community. In addition RCS also runs a food bank and the Community Kitchen provides free hot lunches everyday, including holidays.

New Bern Breakfast Rotary also supplies volunteers to the community kitchen on the fifth Friday of the month when there is one. Contact Bette Morris at the next club meeting to sign up for an upcoming shift.  Below are some photos of our members volunteering on a recent Friday morning. at RCS.

New Bern Breakfast Rotary Donates $4,000 to RCS

The New Bern Breakfast Rotary Club is donating $4,000 to RCS (Religious Community  Services of New Bern), the club’s president announced today, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022.

“RCS provides an important and essential service for our community and to our fellow neighbors in need,” said Brant Bills, who heads up New Bern Breakfast Rotary. 

The donation approved by the club’s board comes days before RCS is to celebrate its 40th anniversary at a block party Saturday afternoon, Aug. 13th, at the nonprofit’s headquarters at 919 George Street in New Bern

The donation is the Breakfast Rotary’s second largest of the year, behind the funding its signature program, Kicks-For-Kids, which provides hundreds of local primary and middle school students with new shoes every year. 

“We are honored  to accept this donation from the Breakfast Rotary on behalf of all of our dedicated volunteers, staff and the community we serve,” said Zeb Hough, RCS’s executive director, who is also a member of the Breakfast Rotary.

RCS, a faith-based organization, founded in 1982, supports the community through a variety of programs including its Community Kitchen, The Clothing Closet and a temporary shelter. For more information on RCS, visit  www.rcsnewbern.com .

The Breakfast Rotary has been a longtime supporter of RCS. In addition to financial support, volunteers from the club cook lunch in the RCS Community Kitchen 1-2 Friday mornings a month.  Breakfast Rotary volunteers will also be supporting Saturday’s free RCS 40th Anniversary street party, which begins at 4 p.m.

“The Breakfast Rotary is able to support local nonprofits like RCS and other community projects thanks in large part to proceeds raised at the annual B/S/H/ Oktoberfest,” said Bills,  which this year takes place Saturday, Sept. 24, in Union Point Park in New Bern. Tickets can be purchased at newbernrotary.org/oktoberfesttickets.

The New Bern Breakfast Rotary meets every Thursday at 7:30 a.m., at the Baker’s Kitchen at 227 Middle Street, New Bern. Visitors are always welcome. Meetings include breakfast and a featured speaker.  Other  endeavors of the club include providing  scholarships for local students, advancing area nonprofits, holding free document shredding events  and volunteering for a highway beautification project.  For more info visit newbernrotary.org.