Food Box & Emergency Services Fundraiser

Hundreds of family members have depended on our food box deliveries in order to meet their basic needs. Delivering food boxes has been both heartbreaking and heartwarming. On the one hand, we have come face to face with families, including children, who had gone hungry for days. But when they open their door to a delivery of fifty-plus pounds of fresh, nutritiously balanced food, it’s clear that this is what community is all about. Over a twelve-month period, we delivered nearly eighteen tons of food! They open their doors to a community member who cares about them! These families recommended by our community partners also experience emergencies and have needs for cleaning, sanitizing, and sometimes diapers and wipes, items not able to be purchased with food stamps. Our food boxes and our programs expand to meet these ongoing emergencies.

Meanwhile, the number of homeless youth and adults in our town is staggering. Our Southtowne Rotary Club rolls up its sleeves to support the SVDP Youth House, Hosea Youth Services drop-in center, the Mission, 15th Night, 4J’s McKinney-Vento program, 4J’s ECCO High School, and other partnerships with St. Vincent de Paul. Our club volunteers work for free, of course, but these programs all require financial support as well.

We are stretching every dollar to the max…but we NEED YOUR HELP. Our Fundraising Campaign goal is to raise at least $15,000, which would fund most of these program costs. Please consider making a donation today!

Food Boxes Program

For the past ten years, Southtowne Rotary volunteers have compiled and distributed food boxes to local families. Families in need can request a food box through our community partners, including all Bethel Elementary and Middle Schools (recommended by school counselors), current emergency needs, and Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad (Downtown Languages). We then deliver the food boxes directly to where the family lives, or arrange a way for families to pick up the food boxes from us. Non-perishable boxes are delivered directly to our partners.

By working with our community partners, we can get our food boxes to families who need them the most. This program is a valuable resource for our partners as well. When a family in crisis comes to one of our partners and asks for assistance, our partners can call on us for a food box, and then give that to the family in need.

Collecting Food Donations

FOOD for Lane County and the Eugene Mission regularly donate perishable and non-perishable items for these boxes. We are grateful that FOOD for Lane County chose us as a P2 partner due to our long-term commitment to getting food to families in our community. Our relationships with these local organizations is what helps make this program so successful.

Our club needs to purchase additional items to complete breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals, as well as all non-food items. We’ve found that when we ask our partners and families what foods they need, we can create food boxes that are more helpful to them.

We make some boxes specifically for hispanic populations that are underserved by other food abundance programs. These boxes will include ingredients like rice, pinto beans, and black beans, that they can make many meals out of rather than just one.

Southtowne Rotary is an equal opportunity provider. All referrals come from our partners at Bethel School District, Head Start, and Downtown Languages. Read more about our non-discrimination policy.

Recipient Quotes

“Thank you for All of your help thru out these past years. You are guys are so wonderful and kind. You are such beautiful blessing to many of us family and individuals 🙏❤️💝
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the year.”

“Realmente aprecio el apoyo y la dedicación que el Club Rotario brinda a la comunidad de Bethel. ¡Mil gracias por las cajas de comida!”
English – I truly appreciate the support and dedication that The Rotary Club provides for the Bethel community. Thank you so much for the monthly food boxes!