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 first-ever Des Moines Bank Food and Fund Drive.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Normandy Park Towne Center, directly in front of Normandy Park Market.
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 SPONSOR!
The Rotary Club is seeking merchant sponsors to donate $250.00 each. Merchants who support the Des Moines Area Food Bank Food and Fund Drive would see 100% of those tax-deductible funds going directly to the Food Bank. They are also asked to set out a Food Donation Bin (supplied by the Rotary club) in their business and encourage patrons to donate nonperishable food items, or funds from now until Dec. 5.
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. 5.
This event will be graciously broadcast via a South King Media video stream and will be featured that day on the Waterland Blog, The B-Town Blog, The SeaTac Blog, and The Normandy Park Blog. The video feed will be filmed by volunteer students of the Puget Sound Skills Center Broadcast Communication Department, a Highline Public School in Burien.
In addition to broadcasting the donations of individuals, organizations and merchants, SoKing Media will also broadcast the jailing and release of “Local Dignitary Hostages.”
“The Rotary Club of Des Moines Normandy Park has been proud to support the Des Moines Food Bank over the years,” said Rotary President Janel Stoneback. “We are very pleased that so many others are answering the call to help an institution which helps so many people find their footing in the face of hard times.”
The Rotary Club isn’t alone in this effort; many other non-profit groups are rallying behind the cause, including Des Moines, Cubscout Pack 955, which will be conducting a special “Scouting For Food” day before and on Dec. 5. In addition the Normandy Park Economic Development Committee which organizes the annual Winterfest Celebration at the Normandy Park Towne Center on Sunday Dec. 6, has declared that the Food & Fund Drive will be the kick-off event of the Winterfest Celebration.
Scores of local businesses are proving sponsorship support including: The Normandy Park Town Center, Normandy Park Market, South King Media, Marina Medical, Rose Pho, Wallingford Financial, Wesley Homes, Normandy Perk, Can’t Stop Smakin’, Salon Michelle, Pierview Chiropractic, Priceless Pet Clinic, Flora Laura, Razors Edge, Judson Park, and Normandy Park Ace Hardware.
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 5th at the Normandy Park Towne Center and please consider becoming a Square Meal Partner. Together, we can change these numbers.”
The Normandy Park Market is located at 19805 1st Avenue South, Normandy Park, WA 98148.
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 first-ever Des Moines Bank Food and Fund Drive.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Normandy Park Towne Center, directly in front of Normandy Park Market.
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:
