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The Rotary Club of College, in Fairbanks, Alaska has long prioritized helping feed Fairbanks. We have provided food for teens and food for snacks in the schools, donated time and money to the Food Bank and helped create the gardens for Bread Line's Stone Soup Cafe. Currently, we have committed $2000 for "Take home bags" with these programs. We have allocated $1000 for the Bone Builder kits for Kids program through the Foodbank and $1000 for the sack lunch program through Stone Soup Cafe. We would like to use district matching funds to double our impact.
This project clearly helps prevent disease and improves maternal and child health. It could also be considered as conflict prevention because hungry people can become desperate and it also improves sanitation as the food they are given has been properly handled and prepared. However, the main areas of focus for this project are disease prevention and maternal and child health
BONE BUILDER TAKE HOME KITS FOR KIDS:
According to the Food Bank web site, "Without a summer school lunch program, many kids could go hungry. Since the summer of 2002 the Food Bank has filled sacks with about 5 pounds of kid-friendly snacks - juice, fruit and granola bars. Unfortunately, the Tanana Valley region's childrens' need for a supplemental summer food program has not diminished." In email Sam at the Foodbank related, "Every year we strive to serve at least 250 enrolled students through 2-3 food distribution sites in Fairbanks and North Pole. Every year we dream of being able to serve 500 students, but funding has not been in place to make that happen. This year, 2020, we have an even deeper problem caused by the economic effects of COVID-19, and our dream continues to be to serve 500 students, once a week, 12 weeks of summer, with kid-friendly food." With $2000 they could provide 333 more bone builder kits. As of May 2020, there are 8 different locations around the greater Fairbanks area and North Pole where families can access the Bone Builder Kits. Several members of the Rotary Club of College are volunteers and donors to the Food Bank.
SACK LUNCHES THROUGH STONE SOUP CAFE
Sack Lunches are another great need in Fairbanks. Stone Soup has seen increased demand for their free breakfast and lunches. Heather Warren says "There are a lot of new faces coming in, people we have not seen before, and that is worrisome." Heather identified the sack lunch program as the most in need of financial support at this time. In May they distributed 2124 sack lunches. If the sack lunch meal averages $7 each, the $2000 donation would help provide 285 sack lunches. The Rotary Club of College has been a strong supporter of Stone Soup Cafe helping to established their raised garden and Rotary volunteers working to plant, water and care for the vegetables.
Together this outreach, working in partnership with local non-profits, will help feed hungry people in Fairbanks. Our club can make a small difference with our donations of time and money, but Rotary D5010 matching funds would enable us to help feed over 600 people this summer. We will ask the agencies to acknowledge both the club and the district in their acknowledgments.
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