Ottawa Rotary clubs contribute to district-wide goal to help pantries

Rotary District 6420 announced the success of its district-wide service project, “Filling Our Pantries with Hope.”

Spearheaded by District Governor Dave Emerick, the initiative challenged each Rotary club in the district to donate 20 pounds of food per member, aiming for a total of 28,000 pounds of food donations. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of Rotarians, the final results surpassed expectations, with 155,343 pounds of food donated – achieving 554.84% of the original goal.

Ottawa Noon and Ottawa Sunrise Rotary clubs participated. The Community Food Basket in Ottawa Ottawa preferred a cash donation rather than actual food because the pantries have more buying power. The pantry can buy between two and 10 times as much for the same cost. Ottawa Noon Rotary donated $1,360 to the food pantry, which represents at least 2,720 pounds of food. At the same time, Ottawa Sunrise Rotary donated $600 to the Salvation Army representing more than 1,200 pounds of food.

Thirty Rotary clubs participated in the project, contributing an average of 5,178 pounds of food per club.

“When I was deciding on the type and structure of the 2023-2024 district-wide service project, I knew that I wanted it to be something that would have a large impact,” Emerick said. “Since everyone needs food, I felt supporting our area food banks and food pantries was the right project at the right time. Hence, the ‘Filling Our Pantries with Hope’ service project was created.

“I am humbled and excited by the generosity and support for this project by Rotarians throughout District 6420. Given a goal, Rotarians will always strive to exceed the task at hand by providing ‘Service Above Self.’ As the No. 1 service organization in the world, making a large and lasting impact is just what we as people of action do every day in our communities and around the world. I would like to thank everyone who led, participated and embraced this meaningful endeavor. Together, we created hope for many people in our towns and cities.”