Spring Food Drive runs from March 4 – March 15, 2024
Right now in Washtenaw County, more of our neighbors are facing food insecurity than at the height of the pandemic. This means that more individuals and families in our community are turning to their local food pantries and meal programs to fill the gaps. The increased need means that food banks are challenged to make even more food available, despite increased costs.
Child Hunger Food Drive
Rotary is partnering with Food Gatherers – Washtenaw County’s only food rescue and food bank program – to fight hunger in our community. More than 40 local businesses and organizations, and local Rotary Clubs will collect funds and non-perishable food items for Food Gatherers to distribute to 170 non-profit partners and programs working to alleviate hunger in our community. Examples of these partners include the Salvation Army, Dawn Farm, Ozone House, Peace Neighborhood Center, Perry Nursery School, Dexter Senior Center, SOS Community Services, the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, and Hope Clinic.
Hunger is real in our county. Last year, Food Gatherers distributed food to more than 56,000 individuals in Washtenaw County. This totaled more than 6.5 million pounds of food, or more than 18,000 meals every day.
The goal of the Rotary Fights Child Hunger food drive is to gather food and funds to provide 100,000 meals. The food and funds collected during the Rotary food drive will help ensure that children living in our community have the food they need to grow healthy and strong. The meals raised will be available to children and families through Food Gatherers’ network of 170 partner programs, including the Summer Food Service Program sites providing meals for children in the summer and the Healthy School Pantry Program distributing free produce boxes and groceries at local schools.
An important note: This drive will collect food and financial donations. Food donations are wonderful and appreciated. However, raising funds allows Food Gatherers to use its bulk buying power to distribute more food in our community, and this will remain our primary focus.
How Can You Help?
To make a donation to Rotary Fights Child Hunger 2024 by credit card, click here, or if you prefer, you may also give by calling 734-761-2796 or mailing a check (made out to Food Gatherers with “Rotary” on the memo line) to PO Box 131037, Ann Arbor, MI 48113. You can also bring a check to our weekly meeting and hand it to Cat Meyer, our new administrator. Food Gatherers also accepts cash donations in person and donations via PayPal (@foodgatherers).
To host a fund drive:
- Financial donations (cash, check, credit card, Pay Pal) allow Food Gatherers to purchase needed food at bulk rates, getting more pounds of food per dollar than your purchase in the grocery store. For every $5 donated Food Gatherers can provide 10 meals to our hungry neighbors.
- This year, gifts of $25 or more made through the Rotary Fights Child Hunger food drive will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000. A gift of $25 will provide enough food for 100 meals when you include the match!
- Businesses can collect gifts of cash, checks (made payable to Food Gatherers), or direct donors to give online https://give.foodgatherers.org/ge/rotary . Cash and checks can be delivered to the Food Gatherers warehouse at the end of the food drive. Food Gatherers will issue receipts for all gifts made by check or online.
- To make a bigger impact…you can create your own Rotary Fights Child Hunger fundraising page. Visit https://give.foodgatherers.org/ge/rotary click on “Register Your Own Team” or “Participate as an Individual”, create your page, and share it via email, Facebook, Instagram and other social media. Use this page to challenge co-workers, friends, and family to join the fight against child hunger! Donations made to individual or team pages also qualify for the matching funds.
Spread the word! Whether you host a food drive, a fund drive, or both, this is the most important thing you can do! Include information in your company newsletter, in employee paychecks, and organization wide e-mails.
Food and fund drop-off
Though the focus is on fundraising, if you do have food items to donate, bring them to the Food Gatherers warehouse anytime during the drive. The drop-off is contactless, simply pull up to the large orange loading door and call the phone number posted there for next steps.
Please include your completed Rotary Donor Form with your donation so that your collected food can be reflected in the Rotary total.
Food Gatherers: 1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Food Drop-Off Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Directions to Food Gatherers
From Plymouth Road. Take Plymouth Rd. to Nixon Rd. (in front of U-M North Campus Research Complex). Head north on Nixon Road. Turn left on Dhu Varren Rd. Turn right on Carrot Way at the Carrot Way Apartments. Look for the Food Gatherers’ warehouse at the end of Carrot Way.
From Pontiac Trail. Head north out of town approximately 2 miles. Turn right on Dhu Varren Rd. Pass Olson Park. Turn left onto Carrot Way.
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns prior to or during the food drive, please contact your assigned Rotarian or Todd Kephart by email at toddkephart@risadvisory.com.
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 https://www.a2rotary.org/
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 more than 140 community partners with free and low-cost food, deliveries, and trainings. We operate several large direct service programs — the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Healthy School Pantry Program — and work closely with community schools, universities, and healthcare providers to address gaps in services. Because hunger will not be solved with food alone, we advocate for policies and system changes to create an equitable food system.
In their last fiscal year, Food Gatherers distributed nearly 6.5 million pounds of food. For a list of food donors and recipient agencies, or to learn how you can become involved in the fight against hunger, please visit www.foodgatherers.org or call (734) 761-2796.
To learn more about hunger in our community, visit: www.foodgatherers.org/learn
