Rotary Harvest 2015

Rotary Harvest Gathers Food for Tompkins Families
Ithaca Rotary Club collaborates with Farmers Market, School District to bring fresh food to local tables

Ithaca, New York – The Rotary Club of Ithaca is engaging in its 9th annual Rotary Harvest food collection during three weekends this summer. On Saturdays, August 22, August 29, and September 5, volunteers from the Ithaca Rotary Club will gather at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market to gather donated produce and other fresh foods to supplement selected families’ meals.

Ithaca Rotarian Heidi Goldstein conceived of the idea in 2007 when she had a booth at the Farmer’s Market. “Children are my passion and I wanted to do something that would directly affect their lives,” says Heidi. “This is very personal for me. This food distribution has a direct impact on our local children.”

Now in its 9th year, Rotary Harvest has served 46 families, including 160 children. The collaborative effort between the Ithaca Rotary Club, the Ithaca Farmer’s Market, and the Ithaca City School District provides fresh fruits and vegetables and other staples to families who participate in the pre-K meal program. For three weeks in late summer every year, the school meal program is unavailable, so Rotary Harvest helps bridge that gap.

This year, six families with 21 children will receive fresh food through Rotary Harvest. Five or six Rotarians will meet at the Farmer’s Market each Saturday morning, fill a wagon with fresh produce donated by vendors, and then shop at a local grocery store for meat, cereal, peanut butter, and other necessities. The volunteers then deliver the goods to the recipients’ homes.

Email questions about Rotary Harvest to Heidi Goldstein at hjorganics@aol.com.