ROTARY SERVICE UPDATE OCTOBER 2013

In recognition of World Food Day on 16 October, this edition of Rotary Service Update highlights examples of Rotarians’ efforts to help some of the 850 million people worldwide without access to nutritious food. Listen to a webinar about Rotary’s work with other organizations to alleviate hunger, and read General Secretary Hewko’s message about Rotary’s commitment to the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

• The Rotary Club of Guilford (Greensboro), North Carolina, USA, is a sponsor of the Numay Project, an initiative to curb childhood malnutrition Cali, Colombia. Children in need receive nutritious food distributions monthly, and their parents and care-givers receive meal-planning guidance and classes on proper nutrition. Read more.
• The Rotary Club of Lucena South, Quezon, Philippines, partnered with local relief agencies and Stop Hunger Now, a U.S.-based initiative that packages and distributes nutritious meals, to distribute 5,000 meals at the Aeta Children’s Home in Zambales, Philippines.
• The Rotary Club of Lake in the Hills, Illinois, USA, partnered with the Ak’tenamit community in the Guatemalan jungle to install a sustainable aquaponics system and train local residents to maintain it. Aquaponics is used to produce both fish and vegetables, providing affordable protein that can be cultivated by the local community. Watch a video and learn more about this project.
• The Rotary Club of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA, obtained a Rotary grant to help fund the Back Pack Buddies initiative, a project carried out with the Lowcountry Food Bank that provides 120 local students in need of daily food assistance with food to take home over the weekend.