Ann Arbor-area rotary clubs raise over 80,000 meals for campaign against summer hunger

Food Gatherers Warehouse Manager, Dan Seling, sorts food from the drive. (Courtesy: Food Gatherers)

ANN ARBOR – The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor along with the Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor North and Ypsilanti have raised 84,375 meals for Food Gatherers as part of its 2019 Rotary Fights Summer Hunger campaign.

More than 80 local businesses and organizations take part in the annual campaign for Washtenaw County's food rescue program by collecting non-perishable food items and funds to help alleviate food insecurity during the summer.

"While we all think about food and giving during the holidays, food insecurity actually spikes during the summer months," Eileen Spring, Food Gatherers CEO, said in a statement. "Rotary's efforts are vital to keeping our network prepared to fight increased summer hunger, and we are grateful for Rotary’s annual commitment to fighting hunger in our community." 

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Those affected most by summer hunger are children, since many Washtenaw County families rely on free and reduced-price meals while school is in session. Many children eat both breakfast and lunch while at school. Once school is out for the summer, these meals are no longer available to them, putting more strain on family resources.

"Rotary is proud to have partnered with Food Gatherers each spring for the past 15 years to stock up the warehouse in preparation for those critical summer months when children no longer have access to school lunches," Rotary Club of Ann Arbor’s Todd Kephart said in a statement. "Thanks to the generosity of our community, we are thrilled to have exceeded our food drive’s goal by 41%."

The resources from the fund and food drive will be used to supply Food Gatherers' network of 170 partner programs, including meal programs and food pantries.

About Food Gatherers  
Food Gatherers’ mission is to alleviate hunger and eliminate its root causes in Washtenaw County. As the food rescue and food bank program for the county, we distribute 6.3 million pounds of food to 170 nonprofit programs serving approximately 44,500 low-income adults, seniors and children every year. 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 website at www.a2rotary.org. 

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