Hunger is a global problem, and Idaho is no exception. Too many people, including children and seniors, are not sure where their next meal will come from. Serving these Idahoans are the 34 food banks and pantries scattered throughout the state. Our club has a close relationship with two of them, and we hold food drives to support them in their worthwhile endeavors: the Eagle Community Foodbank and St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho food pantries. Learn more about what food-related service projects our club has done and how they have benefited these organizations. 
Nearly 1 in 10 Idahoans is "food insecure." That means that 150,000 people in Idaho, 46,000 of them children, has limited or uncertain access to food. Without proper nutrition, these kids have a higher risk of a great many conditions, including asthma, iron deficiency anemia, developmental delays, mental health problems, poor academic performance and generally lower health. Among adults, especially seniors, food insecurity can lead to higher rates of hypertension, obesity, stroke, asthma, congestive heart failure and depression. And with prices rising, access to food is becoming an even greater concern.
Members of 
the Eagle-Garden City Rotary Club recognize the problem and believe that no one in our community should have to worry about where their next meal will come from.
the Eagle-Garden City Rotary Club recognize the problem and believe that no one in our community should have to worry about where their next meal will come from.For this reason, we periodically hold food drives and donate to food pantries ourselves to put food in the fridges and cupboards of those in need. Although we are a small club, we are proud that these food-related service projects during 2022 raised nearly $2,200 in cash and food to feed our community's hungry families:
- On Nov. 5, we held a food drive at Fred Meyer for St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho, a nonprofit that helps many groups of people and has the second-largest food bank in the area. We collected $295 in cash and gift cards and 311 pounds of food (valued at $467).
- On Aug. 20, through a food drive at Fred Meyer for St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho, we collected $189 in cash and gift cards and 296 pounds of food (valued at $444).
- In May, to celebrate our club's 25th birthday, we wanted to make sure that children were able to celebrate their birthdays with cake, even if that was a rare luxury. So we put together 25 birthday kits to be distributed through the Eagle Community Foodbank and Boise Rescue Mission's City Light facility for women and children. Each kit, costing about $23, was packaged in a disposable aluminum cake pan with lid and included a cake mix, can of frosting, Sprite (to replace the oil, eggs and water), box of birthday candles, shaker of sprinkles, and a card with birthday wishes from the club and instructions for using the Sprite.
- In January and February, members brought donated food, toiletries, cleaning products and cash to weekly club meetings. At the end of February, we presented everything we had collected, 274 pounds valued at $706, to the Eagle Community Foodbank.