Work to ease hunger earns Rotarian an ‘atta boy’

Abrahamson

Highlands resident and Rotary Club of Renton member Norm Abrahamson recently received an “atta boy” for helping quell hunger. The “atta boy,” as 74-year-old Abrahamson called the award, is officially the Mike Shanahan Service Award and is awarded to those who have performed outstanding community service in hunger relief.

Abrahamson received the award at a luncheon held by the University District Rotary Club at the Seattle Yacht Club.

“I don’t feel very deserving of it,” Abrahamson said of the award. “I think of all the people who do things...”

Abrahamson was one of three winners of the award, presented by Rotary First Harvest. Co-founded by Mike Shanahan in 1982, Rotary First Harvest gathers surplus food from farmers and distributes the food to local food banks. Shanahan, member of the Seattle University District Rotary Club, is a former University of Washington police chief.

The annual award is open to the public, but winners must be nominated by a Rotary member. Winners are selected by a Rotary First Harvest committee.

Abrahamson was nominated by Renton Rotary President Jim Baker. Three things qualified Abrahamson for “being a good guy for hunger relief,” Baker says.

Those three things are Abrahamson’s position as Rotary First Harvest representative for Renton Rotary and his assistance with ARISE (Area of Renton Interfaith Shelter Endeavor) and Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank and Service Center.

As a representative for Rotary First Harvest, Abrahamson attends quarterly meetings and repackages food every second Saturday at the north Kent warehouse.

For ARISE, he helps his wife Carol organize and cook meals for the homeless men who stay at their church during its host month. The Abrahamsons attend Renton First United Methodist. ARISE is a temporary housing program for homeless men operated by a network of Renton churches with the assistance of Catholic Community Services (CCS).

For Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank and Service Center, Abrahamson, a retired Boeing engineer, is the maintenance man.

“When something breaks they call me,” he said.

He also helped find a new home for the food bank and acted as a liaison between the Renton Salvation Army and the architect during the 2005 search. Abrahamson remains on the Renton Salvation Army Advisory Board.

“I’m looking forward to the bell ringing at the kettles,” he said.

And that’s just Abrahamson’s hunger relief work. An “expert at wheelchair ramps,” he has built probably half a dozen for the City of Renton Housing Repair Assistance Program. He and Carol have also helped refurbish houses in Biloxi, Miss.; rebuilt churches in Costa Rica and La Paz, Mexico; built cabins at a Methodist church camp in Joseph, Ore; and volunteered at Africa University in Zimbabwe.

“I have probably been more involved with just doing volunteer work than food,” Abrahamson said.

“We’ve just had so much fun going around various places,” he added.

Emily Garland can be reached at emily.garland@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052. Check us out on the web at www.rentonreporter.com

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