Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis Join Forces To Address Hunger (Photo) -09/28/23
Community service took center stage September 11 as local area Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary clubs addressed food instability during the service organizations’ third annual Celebrate Community initiative. Several clubs volunteered at Heritage Farm to harvest fresh produce. Heritage Farm, located in Hazel Dell, WA is the site of Clark County Food Bank’s Farming and Gleaning Program. The program’s mission is to increase the amount of fresh, nutritious food distributed through 34 partner agencies across Clark County. The program localizes emergency food supply and engages and educates the community through volunteer opportunities. The Clark County Food Bank has been farming at 78th Street Heritage Farm since 2009, growing miles of carrots and maintaining a vegetable garden with the help of volunteers.
Leadership from the service organizations Kiwanis International, Lions International, and Rotary International have encouraged their clubs around the world to work together on projects during one week in September as part of a joint initiative dubbed Celebrate Community – #CelebrateCommunity. Issues related to health and wellness, food insecurity and hunger, education and literacy, and the environment will be addressed through community cleanups, food donations and distributions, walks or runs to raise money for specific causes and book collections for children.
As a result of the #CelebrateCommunity initiative, Camas Lions Club has been increasing partnership activities with Camas-Washougal Rotary. “We can all use a few extra volunteers at our service projects,” says Camas Lions President, Stephanie O’Dell, “We have similar missions and we’re all trying to make our communities better. When we combine efforts, we are better together!”
About Kiwanis: Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organization of clubs and members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Each year, the Kiwanis family of clubs devote more than 7.3 million hours of service. Kiwanis clubs sponsor adult and youth leadership programs and conduct more than 241,000 projects. Through service projects and fundraisers, Kiwanis members improve their communities, make lifelong friendships and, most importantly, help children reach their full potential. Visit www.kiwanis.org for more information.
About Lions: Lions International is the largest service club organization in the world. More than 1.4 million members in over 49,000 clubs are serving in 200 countries and geographic areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects, and we extend our service impact through the generous support of our Lions Clubs International Foundation. We are focused on supporting vision, the environment, childhood cancer, hunger, diabetes, and other pressing humanitarian needs to help address some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. For more information about Lions International, visit www.lionsclubs.org.
About Rotary: Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.4 million members of more than 46,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit www.Rotary.org.
