Ann Arbor — The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor is partnering with Food Gatherers — Washtenaw County’s food bank and food rescue program — to fight hunger where we live. The Rotary Fights Child Hunger Spring fund and food drive will run from March 7th to March 18th. During the drive, local businesses and organizations are invited to collect funds and non-perishable food items to alleviate hunger in our community. The Club’s goal is to collect funds and food to provide 150,000 meals for children and families in Washtenaw County during the summer when they don’t have access to free and reduced-price meals in school.
The Rotary Club encourages people to double their impact and take advantage of a matching opportunity provided by the Harold and Kay Peplau Family Fund. Any donation of $25 or greater will be matched 1:1 up to $10,000! This means a gift of $25 will be doubled and provide 150 meals for children and families facing food insecurity in Washtenaw County.
Efforts like the Rotary Fights Child Hunger drive are vital right now. The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on demand for food resources in Washtenaw County. In the first six months of the pandemic child food insecurity in our community doubled; today the rate is decreasing, but remains 12% higher than before the pandemic. Since March 2020, Food Gatherers has distributed record-breaking amounts of food to address the significant rise in food insecurity as a result of the pandemic.
Food Gatherers will use resources from the fund and food drive to supply its network of 170 partner programs, including food pantries, meal programs, and other emergency grocery services that help food insecure children and families throughout Washtenaw County. In coordination with its partners, Food Gatherers is the largest sponsor of the Summer Food Service Program that provides meals to children throughout the summer break.
How you can contribute:
Community members are encouraged to make financial gifts and/or donate non-perishable food items during the campaign.
1. Donate online at foodgatherers.org/rotary.
2. Drop off or mail checks made payable to “Food Gatherers” to Food Gatherers, 1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; please note “Rotary” in the memo line. Warehouse hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
3. Bring food donations to the Food Gatherers Warehouse,1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.; please note that is for the Rotary Drive when dropping off. We appreciate the following most-needed items: low/no-sodium, high-protein products such as beans (canned or dried), canned meats (tuna, chicken, etc.), and peanut butter; low/no-sodium hearty soups (beef stew, chili, etc.); canned fruit; baby food and formula; Ensure or other supplemental nutrition drinks.
About Food Gatherers
Food Gatherers is the food bank and food rescue program serving Washtenaw County. The lead agency for hunger relief in the County, Food Gatherers supports a network of 170 community partners with free and low-cost food, deliveries, and trainings. In our last fiscal year, we distributed more than 9 million pounds of food – the equivalent of 7.5 meals. For a list of our partner programs or to learn how you can become involved in the fight against hunger locally, please visit www.foodgatherers.org or call (734) 761-2796.
About Rotary
Rotary International is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. To learn more about The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor, visit the web at http://www.a2rotary.org/
