The Rotary Club of Des Moines & Normandy Park WA will be again helping the Des Moines Area Food Bank in their Square Meal Partner Fund Drive. This year's activities will be taking place at the Des Moines Tree Lighting on December 2nd and the Normandy Park Towne Center on Saturday December 3rd, 2016 as a prelude to the annual Winter Fest event. Donors are asked to donate just $10 a month and can pledge now at www.SquareMealPartner.org.
The Rotary Club of Des Moines & Normandy Park is teaming with civic groups, hometown merchants and individuals to come to the aid of the Des Moines Area Food Bank during the 2nd annual- Des Moines Bank Food Square Meal Partner Fund Drive, to be held Saturday, Dec. 3.. The event will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Normandy Park Towne Center.
The Rotary Club of Des Moines & Normandy Park, which has been a long time financial supporter of the local Food Bank, has decided to head a fundraiser for the Des Moines Area Food Bank after learning some startling statistics:
The Des Moines Area Food Bank serves over 1,000 families every month in a large geographic expanse including the communities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and the West Hill portion of Kent. 1 in 5 children in the Des Moines Food Bank area of service, suffers from food insecurity, a rate starkly higher than the national average of 1 in 8 children. The Des Moines Area Food Bank operates at a loss for 10 months out of every 12. These numbers prompted the local Rotary club to take action to assemble a community Food/Fundraiser aimed at accomplishing three things: Raising funds to help this organization which helps so many Increasing awareness about hunger in our hometowns Galvanizing groups, business and citizens of our area to support the Des Moines Food bank in an on-going fashion BE A ‘SQUARE MEAL PARTNER’! The public is encouraged to become what organizers are calling “Square Meal Partners,” credit card donors who contribute $10 monthly automatically on their credit or debit cards directly to the Des Moines Food Bank. The goal is to get a minimum of 100 Square Meal Partners before the end of the drive at 4 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Rotarian Steve Swank, one of the event’s organizer and the Past President of the Des Moines Food Bank remarked about the impetus for this event: “All of us who live here realize what a special area this is, with breath-taking views, wonderful neighbors and a vibrant business community. When Rotarians and the business people we’ve reached out to learned about the Food Bank statistics, many were shocked to learn that the hunger rate in our hometowns was so high. The Des Moines Food Bank does so much to help those in need, and all of us felt compelled to help the Food Bank. This Food Bank provides more of a ‘hand up’, not necessarily a ‘hand out’. Many people who utilize the Food Bank’s services come back to donate to the Food Bank once on their feet. We are confident, that with enough support, awareness and continued generosity from these communities, we can help the Des Moines Area Food Bank eliminate hunger in our hometowns. I’d like to personally invite any group, business or individual who was not happy learning that 1 in 5 kids in this area suffer from food insecurity to step up. Please attend the Food & Fund Drive on December 2nd & 3rd at the Big Catch Plaza in Des Moines and the Normandy Park Towne Center and please consider becoming a Square Meal Partner. Together, we can change these numbers.” The Normandy Park Towne Center is located at 19805 1st Avenue South, Normandy Park, WA 98148.
