Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotarians came together to help feed 700 neighbors in need through a service project benefiting the community’s Little Free Pantries. Club members prepared meal bags containing recipes and all the nonperishable ingredients needed to feed a family of four. The completed bags were distributed among Carrollton’s 15 Little Free Pantries, providing families with everything they need to prepare a meal at home. 

Carrollton’s Little Free Pantry Program was initiated by the mayor and City Council in 2016 to provide convenient access to nonperishable food and other necessities for those in need. The pantries are located throughout the community and are available to anyone who needs them. 

Rotary regularly stocks the pantries to ensure they remain a reliable resource for local families. For this project, club members teamed up with Systems and Methods, Inc., a local business, to pack meal kits, making it easier for families to turn pantry staples into nutritious meals. With enough meal bags to serve 700 people, the project was a meaningful example of Rotary’s motto, "Service Above Self," and the impact that can be made when community partners work together to meet a local need.