Rotary Clubs Hope to Build a Better Community With Food Drive

Food/Fund Drive will stock empty shelves.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Rotary Clubs throughout Marion and Polk counties will officially launch the 2007 Workplace Food/Fund Drive on Wednesday, March 7th.

Area businesses, individuals and organizations have the opportunity to join the fight to end hunger by coordinating food/fund drives in their workplaces. These drives benefit Marion-Polk Food Share and run through April 4th.

“The Rotarian’s motto,” says Ron Hays, executive director of Marion-Polk Food Share, “is to put ‘service above self.’ I’m pleased to be a part of such an important food drive in both of my roles--at Food Share and as a Rotarian.”

Hays says “that the Food Share distribution center has wonderful new racking, but we’re worried that so many shelves are empty. Donations of nutritious foods are coming at the right time.”

The primary reason Marion and Polk counties have such a high incidence of hunger is that the cost of living has increased dramatically while wages for workers with limited education and training have stagnated or lost ground. Over the last decade, we have seen dramatic increases in the cost of housing, energy, and health care. For families relying on low-wage jobs to afford the basics, often their food budget is the only place to cut.

Because donations of USDA commodities that we receive have decreased over the last two years, community donations have become increasingly more important. Thankfully, the community responded last year donating over 500,000 pounds of food more than the previous year.

Marion-Polk Food Share is one of 20 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Founded in 1987, Food Share is “leading the fight to end hunger” in Marion and Polk counties through a network of 70 member charities. For more information about Marion-Polk Food share and our programs, please call us at 503-581-3855 or visit our website at www.foodbanksalem.org.