A contingent of Noon Kiwanians recently traveled to the Phoenix Rescue Mission to volunteer during lunchtime.

Six members helped the organization to serve lunch over a 90-minute period.

About 180 lunches were dished out.

The Phoenix Rescue Mission offers several programs, primarily for homeless men.

The organization also has a separate campus for women and runs a program for recovering drug addicts.

The group volunteers at the mission several times a year and also pitches in each summer by donating 100-plus cases of bottled water.

“The clients are always appreciative of our efforts and the folks who run Phoenix Rescue Mission are getting used to seeing us down there,” said Mike Scharnow, immediate past president for the Noon Kiwanis Club.

“This is just one example of the many hands-on service projects that we perform on a regular basis.”

Besides Scharnow, others making the volunteer trip were Jon Geller, Betty Pantuso, Jerry Comeau, Marcia Hoenle and Jo Nelson.

“There is a large homeless population in the Valley, and this is just one small thing we can do as a club to help those who less fortunate than us.”

Another way the Noon Kiwanis Club helps out the less fortunate is by volunteering at Extended Hands Food Bank here in Fountain Hills.

The food bank services five area zip codes and helps feed more than 200 people per month.

The Kiwanis Aktion Club, which consists of developmentally disabled adults associated with Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services, also volunteers at EHFB on a regular basis.

David Iverson, director of EHFB, was guest speaker at the club’s luncheon meeting Thursday, Aug. 6, and was presented with a check for $1,500 to help with the organization’s expenses.

“Noon Kiwanis has supported us for many years and we appreciate the support we get from you and so many people in town,” Iverson said.

He added there will always be a need for a food bank in this area and that some long-range planning is needed to enable the organization to sustain itself for many years to come.

The club also presented a $400 check to the Fountain Hills Soccer Club, an independent organization dedicated to working with youths, mostly at the recreational level, and increasing their soccer and sportsmanship skills.

Byron Roman, FHSC’s vice president, accepted the check on behalf of the organization and said the group works with hundreds of children and has become a feeder program for the successful high school soccer teams.

The Noon Kiwanis Club will next meet Thursday, Aug. 20, at 12 noon at the Kiwanis Activity Center.

Information: www.fhkiwanis.org or search Facebook for Fountain Hills Noon Kiwanis Club.