40,000 Meals

Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades Donates $10,000 to Support Westside Food Bank

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades donated $10,000 to Westside Food Bank—which will help provide 40,000 meals to food-insecure families.

“This generous Rotary Club gift will go directly towards bulk purchases of fresh produce and other healthy staples, ensuring that we continue to distribute a full range of nutritious foods to our families,” Westside Food Bank Executive Director Bruce Rankin shared in a statement. “Thanks to the Pacific Palisades Rotary Club, we will be able to provide an additional 40,000 meals to those on the Westside who are facing food insecurity during this difficult time.”

Westside Food Bank operates with the mission to end hunger in communities by “providing access to free nutritious food through food acquisition and distribution, and by engaging the community and advocating for a strong food assistance network,” according to the organization’s website.

The donation, delivered by Club President Trish Bowe and fellow Rotary members, was made on February 26 after the club worked to “diligently assess and provide for urgent community needs in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the statement.

Prior to COVID-19, the food bank provided meals to approximately 110,000 area residents each year—nearly half of which were children. In 2020, the local need doubled, with more than 200,000 people served, according to information provided by Westside Food Bank.

“The Pacific Palisades Rotary Club chose to support the Westside Food Bank without hesitation, given the tireless work being done to feed families in our neighborhood,” Bowe shared in the statement. “As Rotarians, our motto is ‘Service Above Self,’ leading with the ideology that we have a shared responsibility to take action and provide assistance to resolve the issues facing our communities.

“It is a great honor to support the Westside Food Bank as they bridge the needs of our neighbors and friends, who remain ever important members of our community.”

Founded in 1981, the Westside Food Bank expects local need to continue growing in 2021. In addition to families with children and homebound seniors, the food bank will be providing meal staples to workers experiencing pandemic-induced job loss and wage reduction, college students, individuals who are unhoused, and veterans.

Rotary is a global network of “volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenge,” according to the statement. There are more than 1.2 million members part of 35,000 clubs across 200 counties and geographical areas.