Rotary Club helps steer drive to end summer hunger

As Longboat Key snowbirds head north, most clear out their cabinets of food before they leave. Instead of throwing the food out, however, you can donate it to feed hungry children this summer.

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key is working with All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger program, which feeds children who otherwise would go hungry.

“Once school ends and summer begins, there is no way for these meal-deprived kids and their younger siblings to get food,” said Gene Luca, who, with Jane Hunter, is spearheading the Rotary Club’s involvement with the campaign.

The campaign kicked off April 1 and will run through May 15. Last year’s campaign fed 27,000 children more than 2 million meals, and this year’s goal is to feed 10% more children, or a total of 30,000.

“School ends, hunger begins,” Hunter said. “It’s important for us with the Rotary to support the school system. I believe that a lot of people on Longboat just aren’t aware that at Sarasota Public Schools, there’s a lot of kids who go hungry. These people are going to throw out their food anyway. Why not donate it?”

The Rotary Club picked up nearly 700 pounds of food last year but is hoping for more this year. Several Key condominium associations have allowed the club to put donation boxes in their office or clubhouse, but many more condos are denying the request.

“A lot of condos don’t allow any boxes or flyers to be put up,” Luca said. “These kind of things need board approval even though it’s for charity. We’d love for that to change and for other associations to be willing to make an exception.”

Luca hopes those whose condos don’t have donation boxes are still willing to donate.

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key currently runs a food pantry at Tuttle Elementary School, in Sarasota, on a biweekly basis, and also sponsors a backpack program that sends children home on weekends with food.

“Doing this is just an extension of some of the projects that we have been working on with Tuttle,” Luca said. “It’s an extension of what we’re already doing for these kids in the school year.”

If you would like to donate food, contact Gene Luca at [email protected].