Alaska
Rotary club moves to fight hunger
By Ryan Hyland
Every second Saturday of the month, members of the Rotary Club of
Anchorage East, Alaska, USA, distribute food to families in
low-income neighborhoods through a mobile food pantry, addressing
the area's increasing need for assistance.
I n 2006, the club raised US$50,000 to purchase and
refurbish an old beer truck for the Food Bank of Alaska. Rotarians have since maintained a
strong connection to the project by volunteering once a month to
distribute food and funding the maintenance of the vehicle.
The truck made a "magical" transformation from hops to hope, says
David Kester, who chairs the effort.
"This project fills a basic but important need in the community," he
says. "By helping put food on the table, we are hitting people where
it counts. We're making a lasting impact one family at a time."
Demand at the mobile food pantry has increased by about 30 percent
in the last 18 months, says Susannah Morgan, an Anchorage East club
member and executive director for the Food Bank of
Alaska, which distributes food six times a week to
hundreds of families in Anchorage. The recession
has increased the number of people seeking help.
"We're seeing more and more working residents utilizing our pantry,"
says Morgan. "I'm consistently amazed at how many people are hungry.
This pantry puts a face on hunger."
Stocked with a variety of canned goods as well as fresh and frozen
produce, the truck delivers enough groceries to last a family a
week. The food is donated by farmers, local grocery stores, and
other agencies. People can choose the items they want and take home
as much as they can carry, says Kester.
Club member and Rotary Foundation Trustee Carolyn E. Jones says
volunteering once a month at the pantry gives Rotarians the
opportunity to build relationships in the community.
"We know a lot of the people on a first-name basis," she says. "It's
a great hands-on project that is fun and exhilarating. When the
money runs out, we're there to put food on the table. You can see
the appreciation on their faces."
Kester estimates that more than 2 million pounds of food has been
distributed since the mobile pantry first started its engine. He
says the free groceries help in ways that extend beyond finances.
"We give families one less thing to worry about, which in turn can
improve home life," says Kester. "This project serves communities in
immeasurable ways."
"I think Rotarians here are catching a glimpse of the difference we
truly can make in people's lives," says Morgan. "The success of the
mobile pantry gives me faith that Rotary can fight hunger
worldwide."
|