On July 31, the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties (communityactionatwork.org) presented Rotary Club of Lincoln No. 14 with the 27th Community Action at Work Award for continued embodiment and support of the nonprofit’s work to address poverty. Community Action presented the award on the front porch of their Gathering Place, 1448 E St., where the Rotary Club of Lincoln has regularly supported the agency and volunteered for nearly 30 years.

Community Action’s Gathering Place serves free hot, nutritious meals—from 5 to 6 p.m. seven days a week—to anyone experiencing hunger in Lincoln. During the last three decades, Rotary Club of Lincoln has contributed tremendous support of this work, including funding needed supplies and equipment to serve meals, supporting building maintenance and improvement projects, and sponsoring the soup kitchen’s annual fundraising campaign. Rotarians also volunteer at the Gathering Place several times a month, serving meals to guests. Community Action Gathering Place served more than 29,000 meals in 2019. This year, the need for meals has never been greater, and Rotarians have provided invaluable support, including assisting with the soup kitchen’s first weekend meal service in April.

“The Gathering Place would not be able to do its work without the support of the Rotary Club of Lincoln,” said Gathering Place Administrator Lisa Janssen.

Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties empowers people living in poverty to reach economic stability. For more information about Community Action’s Gathering Place, including how to support them, visit communityactionatwork.org. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Lincoln, visit rotary14.net.