Evanston Rotary Addresses Food Security During COVID-19

(Evanston, IL, April 3, 2020) — In an effort to help address the COVID-19 crisis as it impacts Evanston, the Rotary Club of Evanston has announced that it is donating funds that would normally be used for club operations to instead support food security during the crisis.

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 in Evanston. 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.

The work of these organizations is vital locally in providing meals to both health care workers and citizens in need as a result of COVID-19.

The club is reminding local organizations that it can help facilitate their volunteer needs during the crisis via its 80-member Community Volunteer Corps. Organizations in need of volunteers can send their requests to the club, which are then transmitted via email alerts to the Corps – made up of local citizens willing to volunteer.

To request help from the Volunteer Corps, organizations should send an email detailing their volunteer needs to larsonpw@gmail.com.

In 2019, the club identified food insecurity as the major focus of its fundraising and service efforts for the next several years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. In 2017, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure – roughly 40 million people, including more than 12 million children – and statistics show that Evanston is impacted, along with the rest of the nation. With the arrival of COVID-19 and subsequent unemployment, food insecurity in Evanston has accelerated.

For more information about the club’s food security efforts or its Community Volunteer Corps, please visit www.evanstonrotary.org.