News Release

Mountain Empire Rotary Club (MER) has been awarded a $950 Rotary District 5500 grant. MER will match the grant with up to $1,000 from the club’s Patagonia-Sonoita Rotary Foundation. The combined funds will improve food storage capacity for the Helping Hands Sonoita food pantry.

“The food pantry addresses a critical need in our community and we’re incredibly excited to support their efforts by improving the quality and volume of storage available in the pantry facility,” said Rotary District Governor Sue Archibald. “Rotary grant projects are designed to have an immediate impact at a local level and actively involve members of our club.”

Helping Hands Sonoita community food pantry currently serves about 100 families and seniors each month from a 10’x20’ modular building located next to the Corner Scoop. The scope of the project involves acquiring and installing a refrigerator for perishable items and heating/cooling equipment to ensure non-perishable items are not impacted by extreme weather events. A portion of the funds also will be used to purchase high demand items, including canned proteins, whole grain cereals, and cooking essentials.

Work is expected to begin in October and be completed before the end of the year. 

MER welcomes the community to support the project by participating in a free community dinner at 5pm, Monday, Oct. 28. in Pioneer Hall at the Sonoita Fairgrounds. Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the dinner, which will help stock the shelves of the food pantry heading into the holiday season. 

MER Club’s impact spans six decades with programs focused on supporting education, growing local economies, fighting disease, addressing food insecurity, and promoting peace. Recent projects include hosting an annual career fair for students in the Elgin and Patagonia schools, awarding scholarships to graduating seniors from Patagonia Union High School, refurbishing desks for schools in Sonora, Mexico and installing a peace pole in Dock Mock Park.

Any community members interested in attending MER meetings and learning more about Rotary can join a Club meeting. The Club meets from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays each month; meeting locations vary. Questions can be directed to MER Club President Anneliese Dompe at adompe7525@yahoo.com.