How the Rotary Club of Evanston is Taking Action
The Rotary Club of Evanston has launched a long-term initiative to address food insecurity in the community. Among the early steps being taken by the club are:
Community forums: The club hosted more than 20 local food-related organizations on Nov. 14, 2019, to discuss food insecurity in Evanston. Titled "Building Food Security: A Community Dialogue," the event identified key issues and challenges -- as well as potential resources -- impacting local food security. Follow-up discussions with stakeholders are now under way. COVID-19. During the COVID-19 crisis, the club is donating funds that would normally be used for club operations to instead support food security in Evanston. The club has begun hosting its meetings online, rather than in-person, and will divert funds previously budgeted for its weekly lunches to support organizations that are helping ensure food security. So far, the club has donated funds to local restaurants cooking and delivering meals to the elderly, hospital workers and economically disadvantaged, including La Principal, Bagel Art Cafe, Curt's Cafe and Nakorn. Additional funding has been provided for Hillside Pantry to be utilized to purchase non-perishable foods.
Speaker presentations: We are hosting speakers from various food-related organizations in Evanston at our Thursday meetings to provide more detail and better understanding about their needs and activities locally.
Service projects: We schedule periodic hands-on service projects aimed at food insecurity. Examples are volunteer days, during which we pack meals to benefit local food pantries. We have also engaged in food collection drives.
The Volunteer Corps. We have mobilized our local Community Volunteer Corps (80 individuals who have offered their services to local organizations) and will be working with the Corps during the next several years to provide volunteer hands-on support as we work on food-related projects.
Community grants. Our club's Charitable Fund is developing plans for renewed community funding for local organizations -- with a strong emphasis on food insecurity. An example is our support of Books & Breakfast, an Evanston program that provides nutritional support and mentoring for children in local schools. One of our recent grants helped Books & Breakfast establish additional services at Haven Middle School. We'll have more information available on new grants available starting July 1, 2020.