Lots of things weigh almost 300 pounds, a newborn elephant for one.But that's also the weight of the food the Eagle-Garden City Rotary Club donated to the Eagle Community Foodbank recently! According to a formula the foodbank uses, the boxes, bags and pallets of food were valued at $706. We were tickled that, with little effort, we could provide such a huge benefit to this valuable community organization.
Given that COVID-19 is still keeping us from full volunteer mode, the club was itching to do some good!
So we decided in early January to start collecting items from the food bank's wish list — like canned goods, toiletries, paper products and cleansers — and bringing them to each week's meeting. Our speaker coordinator invited Lisa Lavin, the food bank's director, to speak at our Thursday, Feb. 17, meeting — and now we had a deadline!
The donations rolled in, week after week, with club members showing so much generosity. Some gave cash that allowed us to buy lots of discounted toiletries and cleaning products.
At our meeting, Lisa told us of the many households that rely on the Eagle Community Foodbank for some food security. Not only does the food bank serve residents of Eagle, but it occasionally has families from Star and Emmett. The food bank's relationship with the schools and Sisters Villa ensures that citizens young or old are served, while its relationship with scout troops and other service organizations ensures its shelves are full — most of the time.
If you're interested, you too can donate to the Eagle Community Foodbank. You'll find drop bins at a variety of locations — the Eagle City Hall, Eagle Fire Station #1 (966 Iron Eagle Dr), Idaho Youth Ranch (300 W State St), Albertson's in Eagle, Idaho First Bank (560 E State St), and Ideal Spine Health Center (950 E Riverside Dr). Your cash donations go toward fresh food, food that meets specific dietary requirements, or seldom-donated items that people still need. Or if you know families who could use the food bank's services, tell them about distribution days on Thursdays.