Atlanta Food Bank sorting and packing project

Honoring Veterans, on November 10th we deferred our lunch meeting to participate in an Atlanta Food Bank (AFB) evening of sorting and packaging donated food. Fourteen Rotary volunteers made it to downtown Atlanta that evening.

Although products sorted for the night composed primarily of dry goods and personal products (vs. canned goods and frozen meat) we packaged a total of 7,745 lbs serving some 6,454 meals. Afterward family, friends and 1 prospective member participated in the club's dinner/social at a local micro brewery/restaurant.

As one of our "Rotary Has Heart" events, on February 9th, eleven NA Rotarians and three prospective members gathered at the AFB for another successful evening making sure donated items are ready for distribution to the food insecure of the greater Atlanta area. Our volunteer crew helped sort 6,850 lbs of food equal to 4,469 meals.

Afterward this hearty group ventured to a local eatery for their own sustenance and fellowship, getting to know each other outside of the NARC meetings.

NARC is scheduled to volunteer at the AFB again on March 30th and May 25, helping to keep food pantries stocked for distribution to the homeless and food insecure of Atlanta. AFB serves some 800 partner agencies serving 29 Counties. 1 in 4 Georgia children live in food insecure households, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. An estimated 755,400 people are served by the AFB and partnering agencies.

Numbers reflect estimates, including these two additional evenings of service (doubling the actual numbers served to date).