In recognition of Joint Service Club Week, five local service clubs are combining efforts to support three community organizations that address food insecurity in the Jacksonville area.

On Friday, Sept 30, representatives of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Sunrise Rotary Club, Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, Jacksonville Lions Club, and Jacksonville Pilot Club will present a total of $4,200 in donations to help Jacksonville Area Food Center, Salvation Army, and Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen serve needy families in our community.

Lori Hartz, Director of Community Health for Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, said “Jacksonville Memorial Hospital coordinates a workgroup to address issues related to food insecurity in our community. In recent months, our food providers have been reporting record numbers of families coming to them for food. They are struggling to keep their shelves stocked to meet this high demand. Captain Chris Clarke from the Salvation Army said they are serving 150 families per week. We believe this high demand is related to the sunset of extra SNAP benefits for children during COVID and the increase in food prices due to inflation.”

Lisa Kluge, president of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, said, “Rotary International encouraged Rotary clubs to conduct a service project during the week of September 11-17, ‘Joint Service Club Week.’ We are proud to collaborate in this joint service project with colleagues in the Jacksonville area clubs to serve such an important community need.”