Monday again? Meh, you say. But what if I told you that your President of Positivity has somehow managed to assemble Humboldt’s “Mount Rushmore of Rotary” to dance for you this morning? Would it make you question everything you thought you believed about life? Of course it would. 

There is a reason for the boogie, though. The rotarians in the video above would be ever so grateful to you if you’d click this link for directions on how you can make a donation to Food for People, Humboldt county’s badass food pantry, which has been stretched to its limit during the current pandemic. Thanks in advance!

Read more about local rotarians’ Food for People fundraising efforts in the release below:

Four Rotary clubs—Eureka, Southwest Eureka, Old Town Eureka, and Fortuna Sunrise—are joining together to raise funds for Food for People as it meets the growing challenge of providing food for Humboldt County residents—and they are asking the public to join them.

“The need is daunting,” said President of Southwest Eureka Rotary Club Ken Singleton. “There has always been significant need, of course, and Food for People has a fine reputation for managing that need…but in this new normal, more and more folks who have never needed to find this type of assistance for themselves and their families are reaching out.”

Rotary clubs throughout the county have a long history of supporting food and meal programs for those in need but they are finding today’s challenges to be uniquely compelling.

“The impact of the COVID-19 virus and the closure of businesses has resulted in job losses, furloughs and the absence of steady paychecks for many in the Humboldt community,” said Southwest Eureka Rotarian and Director of Club Service Scott Pesch. “One of our Rotarian’s business offered to provide a generous matching contribution to donated funds. Food for People was on the ground and doing the job. It was an easy decision to support the great work that they are doing.”

Southwest Eureka Rotarian Ron Harris and Rainbow Self-Storage will match donations up to $5000. Harris is affiliated with three Rotary clubs— in Oregon and Hawaii, and his home club, Southwest Eureka Rotary. He has made the same offer to match donations to all three clubs. “My concern is that people will fall through the cracks,” he said. “People who lack back accounts might be left behind. This is one way that a business, my business, can help.”

The extent of Food for People’s sites, its county-wide system of 17 food pantries and deliveries through mobile pop-ups in 11 rural areas, was an important factor in their decision to collaborate on their fundraising effort, according to Rotarians. They reached out to Carly Robbins, Development Director for Food for People and President of Rotary Club of Eureka. “During the 2008 recession, we saw a 40% increase in the need for our services - this time around we are anticipating a 100-200% increase in the need,” she told them. “We are here to help ALL those who have suddenly found themselves in need in these unprecedented times. We have been working to outreach specifically those who have recently lost wages or revenues and have never needed services before.” An essential need, an organization built to handle it, Rotary clubs with the will to help. “Collaboration and support…it was an easy decision to make,” said Pesch.

Rotary clubs throughout the county are focusing, in different ways and through different organizations, on the basic need for food in their communities. The Rotary Club of Mad River and Rotary Club of Garberville have provided significant contributions to address food needs in McKinleyville and Garberville as other Humboldt Rotary clubs mobilize to serve their communities. “It is the mission of Rotary to embrace the needs of the community,” said Rotary Club of Old Town Eureka President Al Steer. “We are all stepping up to do that.”

Rotarians have and are continuing to provide financial support for this effort, according to Pesch. Members of the three Eureka Rotary clubs and the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary club are inviting the public to join them in support of the Food for People Funding Project. “The people of Humboldt County are remarkably generous,” said Rotary Club of Fortuna Sunrise Bob Judevine. “We know that they want to help the kids who don’t have school lunches, those that suddenly have no paychecks, seniors who may need assistance, people who were already having difficulty feeding their families. This is one way to do that…we invite donors to join us.”

Noting that traditional fundraising is on hold for the foreseeable future for service clubs and non- profit organizations, “we are reaching out to the public in a very direct way and asking them to help us help others. Together we can make a difference,” said Pesch.

To donate, send a check made out to “Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka Foundation” with “Food for People” noted in the memo line to Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka, P.O. Box 6054, Eureka, 95502. To contribute by credit or debit card, go to swrotary.org and click on the donate button on the website. Further information: swrotary.org or 707-572-4104.

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