Editor's note: Ridgefield resident and Rotary Club member Geri Blair shared this beautiful story on Facebook. The Rotary Club of Ridgefield does so much to help locals in need. Yesterday, during their monthly Food Drive, they received a generous donation from a special Ridgefield family. This is worth a read! Thanks, Ridgefield.
Seven years ago Rotary of Ridgefield Sunrise wanted to create a service that would make an impact for those in need in Ridgefield, and so was the beginning of the Rotary Food Drive, held the first Saturday of every month in front of Stop & Shop. This idea continues and to date has collected over $700,000 in food, cash and Stop & Shop gift cards. We now have Rotarians, Lions Heart students, Interact Students sponsored by Rotary, and others not a part of an organization but want to help out, putting in their loyal time each month to help those in need in Ridgefield. The food is transported from S&S to Ballard Green where it is sorted and set up for Social Services to distribute the following Monday.
This past Saturday, one of our Lions Heart Student volunteers, Finn Ward, passed out a shopper guide slip to a friend and his family and explained what our food drive does. This family happened to be the parents and siblings of Max Rosenfield. Max passed away almost 8 years ago suddenly. The parents of Max, Jill and Ken Rosenfield, since founded ”Live Life to the Max!” - The Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation.
The Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation is dedicated to celebrating the life of Max and to continue his acts of friendship, service, and community. Max was an ambassador of friendship, a champion of making sure no one was ever excluded and a teacher in lessons of the heart. Max brought passion to everything he did whether it was playing sports, reading or collecting soda tops to raise money for charity. To say that Max had a deeper understanding of life than most is an understatement.
In honor of the way Max lived his life, the Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation is committed to helping children of all abilities experience childhood joys; to nurture philanthropic activities that positively impact the lives of children and to spread the goodwill and love that Max showed to everyone he met. To honor Max’s great love for reading and passion for baseball, the foundation has an annual book drive and a “Live to the Max!” Baseball clinic.
Due to the Rosenfield family, and many other very generous people, the Ridgefield Rotary Food Drive collected a record-breaking $18,689 in food, cash, and S&S cards.
Rotary - “Service Above Self.” Max Foundation, - “Making a Difference.” What Ridgefield is all about!