Hagerstown Lions Club - Lions e-Clubhouse

With the latest book distribution by Hagerstown Lions Club

at Bester Elementary School, where the club gave students

600 free books, the club's Books for Kids project has now

distributed 10,000 books to local elementary school children.

Hagerstown Lions volunteers at a service project encourage others to get involved by joining a Lions Club.

Hageerstown Lions at Pangborn Park to distribute free books to chuildren being served breakfast offerings by the Washington County Public Schools summer feeding Meal Machine which the Lions sponsort.

Lincolnshire Elementary School students gather to select their books from Hagerstown Lions Club free book distribution project at their school.

Pangborn Elementary Students happy with books they selected from Hagerstown Lions Club book distribution at their school.

Hickory Elemtary Schoiol students display books they selected from Hagerstown Lions book distribution.

Hagerstown Lions perform meintenance at Monarch Butterfly Waystation on Cearfoss Pike

Book distribtion at Emma K. Doub Elementary School

Hagerstown Lions Club distributes grade-appropriate books at Salem Ave. Elementary School. Part of the club's "Books for Kids" children's literacy service project.

Our club's butterfly garden and Monarch Waystation has booked a guest.

(Photos courtesy of Lion Dave Kaplan, "The Butterfly Man.")

Monarch caterpillar on Swamp Milkweed at Lions Club Waystation August 2016.

The 9^th Annual Discovery Classic Golf Tournament held on July 17 at Black Rock Golf Course was another successful event this year. The annual tournament is co-sponsored by the Hagerstown Lions Club and Discovery Station at Hagerstown. It was a beautiful day on the course with great weather. Lion Rob Shives, club chairman of the tournament, reports that 29 foursomes (116 players) participated and that there were 29 hole sponsors. Thanks to the sponsors and players who contributed to the success of the event. The Discovery Classic Golf Tournaments benefit Discovery Station exhibits and operations and the numerous sight conservation and community projects funded by the Hagerstown Lions Club Foundation.

Hagerstown Lions contribute to 2015 WCPS Summer Food Service Program

The Hagerstown Lions Club is providing funding, in part, to the 2015 WCPS Summer Food Service Program which is offering meals to children during the summer school vacation without charge at various locations within Washington County. It is the goal of the program to provide breakfast and lunch to over 1000 children daily at 18 different locations during the summer months.

The Lions Club sponsored “Big Meal Machine” van, pictured above, delivers breakfast and/or lunch Monday through Friday to the YMCA, Cortland Manor, and Otterbein Methodist Church. Lions pictured are (l to r) Service Projects chair Brooks McBurney and club president Pol Heiney.

Pictured are Lions Ed Distad, Tim Foltz, and Andy Hoffman planting trees on Saturday, Oct. 18th. Photo by project chair Lion Brooks McBurney. The plantings were behind the Y, beyond the playing fields. Twenty trees were planted, 10 from the County Forester Aaron Cook (he also supplied mulch and stakes) and 10 donated by the Hagerstown Lions Club. It was a nice morning and things when very well, about an hour to get it all done. All the trees are deciduous: Flowering Dog Woods, Red Maple, Pin Oak, Northern Red Oak, Serviceberry, Hackberry and Scycamores. Also helping plant were members of the Y Board and Staff. This, then, was a multiple group effort by the Lions, the Y and the County. Good job all around and a great service project.

Summer Meals

From a Herald-Mail Media story posted Tuesday, August 5, 2014 by Carlee Lammers, Herald-Mail reporter.

Alan Clingan, left, Father Involvement Coordinator of DADS Connection, Washington County Family Center, and Immediate Past President of the Hagerstown Lions Club, Brooks McBurney, load food as part of the 2013 Summer Meals program.

The Hagerstown Lions Club is working toward ensuring that no Washington County children have to go without food.

This summer, six club members teamed with the Washington County Family Center to provide weekend meals for needy area children.

It is an adjunct to the Micah's Backpack program, which is an effort by local churches to provide weekend meals to more than 600 elementary students during the school year.

Hagerstown Lions Club Past President Brooks McBurney, who coordinates the program, said the Lions Club wanted to also do something to provide continued support to children in need during the summer months.

Although the summer meals program has only reached five families, McBurney said every bit helps.

"It dawned on us that when school stops, so does Micah's Backpack," he said. "Weekend feeding is a major issue, even with the outreach program."

The program, which began in 2013, provides recipients individual pantry items and ingredients for a full menu, according to McBurney.

The boxes contain items such as dry cereals, milk, soup, pasta, bread, peanut butter, canned vegetables, fruits and meat, as well as an assortment of pantry items.

The club obtains most of the food items through the Maryland Food Bank. Boxes are packaged at Haven Lutheran Church in Hagerstown and delivered by case managers at the family center.

McBurney said some of the food items allow families to "get creative" and can be used as a homemaking teaching tool.

In 2013, the program served six children. McBurney said this year the program has expanded, doubling that number. The program is currently serving 13 area children, who are all under the age of 5.

Looking to the future, McBurney said the club hopes to expand the program. He said there is an outstanding demand for food assistance in the county, and the Lions Club is dedicated to helping the cause.

"The bottom line is there's a great deal of food insecurity in Washington County. The club, I think, sees this as an area of service that we have embraced," he said. "The demand is significant. It probably would surprise most folks, in terms of the amount of food need there is out there."

The nine-week summer meals program operates from June to August when school is not in session. McBurney said the club hopes to continue to expand the program and combat food supply issues in the area.

He said the club is seeking donations to help fund the program.

"We understand that we haven't ended the issue," he said. "No question, there is a huge need."

For more information about the program or to make a donation, contact the Hagerstown Lions Club by emailinghagerstownlions@gmail.com, or find the club on Facebook.

Tree Planting Project

Hagerstown Lion Rudy Krumpe performing volunteer painting during Lions Make A Difference Day October 26, 2013 at Discovery Station museum in downtown Hagerstown