The club was greeted by Rtns. Ben Snyder and Erik Mickalson.
Our Meeting was called to order by President- Elect Jim Conard.
Announcements:
President-Elect Jim Conard announced that he recently completed his president-elect training with leaders from all over the Midwest. He learned that in the United States, Rotary membership has declined by 20% since its high point in 2005. Internationally, Rotary is experiencing an 18.5% increase in membership. Jim wants to keep the energy at a high level this year and attract new members.
Rtn. Christina Kimerle announced that the Omaha Animal Shelter is seeking critical assistance for animals impacted by the floods. A supply trailer is departing on March 30th to bring aid. Please donate bowls, food, large animal supplies, grain, hay, and more to the Iowa City Animal Center or by contacting Christina.
Goat Rider: Heath Brewer.
PROGRAM:
Rtn. Devin van Holsteijn introduced today’s speaker, John Boller. John is the Executive Director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry and is an expert on food insecurity in Johnson County. The Pantry is located in the old Coralville Post Office. The Pantry was created by individuals from churches and schools who came together to address the need 10 years ago. John has been with the organization for 6 years and was its first employee.
John began by stating that hunger is a symptom of inequality. The problem does not exist because of a shortage of food in the United States. Some of the causes include inadequately low wages for many working individuals, transportation barriers, healthcare expenses, and unexpected life crises. It is also a result of high housing costs – Johnson County is the most expensive place to live in Iowa and 80% of served families spend at least 50% of their income on housing. Child care costs are prohibitively expensive and are also keeping people, especially women, out of the workforce. Education is not attainable for many people and can also be so expensive that it leads to food insecurity. Racism, sexism, and nationalism also make it more challenging for certain groups to get ahead.
John also noted that hunger does not discriminate and put a face to hunger. Hunger has a broad spectrum – from people needing a little temporary help to get back on their feed to the chronically food insecure. John’s third major point was that food is not a privilege, but a human right. The Pantry’s goal is to ensure that all Coralville residents get the high quality food they deserve. John noted that Table to Table supplies the Pantry with about half of its supplies and delivers high quality donated food from HyVee, Trader Joe’s, the Co-Op and more that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
The Coralville Community Food Pantry has a number of programs to support their mission. The Food Assistance Program is their oldest. It is essentially a free grocery store. Coralville residents can come in once a week and fill their carts with shelf staples, fresh produce, and meat. They also distribute personal care items. The School Break Nutrition Program sends students home with extra breakfast and lunch food for weekends and breaks. The Seed Library Program provides free garden seeds to anyone who wants them, and distributes 1,000-1,500 packets each year. The Free Community Meal Program happens in a public space about 4 times per year. Volunteers make a huge meal and 400-600 people from all walks of life come to enjoy it.
The Pantry has some events coming up. The Global Community Potluck is on March 29th and is an opportunity for anyone to share a meaningful food tradition. It will be at the Coralville library. On April 12th, Music for Meals will host the Dandelion Stompers for its 10th annual fundraiser. Tickets are available. John reminded us that donations go a long way in helping the Pantry and due to their volume and discounts, a $1 donation can supply 5+ pounds of food.
The meeting ended at 12:50 pm as President-Elect Jim Conard led the assembly in reciting The Four Way Test.
MEETING:
Singing: America the Beautiful and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling were led by Rtn. Bob Crane with Rtn. Devin van Holsteijn on piano.
Rtn. Ben Snyder announced that there were no visiting Rotarians.
Guests of Rotarians: None.
Program: Tom Cilek; Attendance: Nancy Droll
Please forward any newsworthy items and/or photos to Jon Brown or Janice Baldes to include in the weekly slide decks emailed to members prior to each meeting and shown just before Rotary meetings at the Club. You can send information to: Janice Baldes janicebaldes@gmail.com or Jon Brown at mjonBrown@taxesplusiowacity.com
It is our policy to have all members silence their cell phones before the meeting and refrain from answering their cell phones during the meeting out of respect to the speaker and fellow members.
