Ipswich-Rowley Rotary is again asking for community donations to support its annual food drive, February 1 through March 1. According to Chris Davis, Ipswich-Rowley Rotarian and food drive organizer, “donations benefit the Open Door Ipswich Community Food Pantry, a program providing nutritious meals to our neighbors in need in Ipswich and Rowley”.Julie LaFontaine, Open Door President and CEO, expressed her appreciation for this continued support from the community. “With the cost-of-living outpacing many budgets, food drives like this one play a critical role in keeping our shelves stocked and our neighbors fed during the winter months. Our hats are off to Ipswich‑Rowley Rotary for demonstrating what ‘service above self’ looks like in action.”.
Noting dramatically increased demand on food pantries, Davis added that, “Rotarians hope to surpass last year's donation totals, ensuring that families facing food insecurity continue to have access to essential items throughout the winter.”
Needed food items include canned tuna and chicken, hearty soups and stews, canned fruits and vegetables, pasta and pasta sauce, cereal, rice, peanut butter, 100% juice and juice boxes, healthy snacks, cake, muffin and pancake mix. No glass, please.
Food can be dropped off at any of 12 locations, between February 1 and March 1.
IPSWICH DROP-OFF LOCATIONS: Town Hall, the Ipswich Public Library, the Ipswich YMCA, The Institution for Savings, Brookline Bank, Bank Gloucester, and Mark Warner Martial Arts.
ROWLEY DROP-OFF LOCATIONS: Town Hall, the Rowley Public Library, Three Sweet Peas, Choice Graphics, Fitness 24, and Paula Henry Fitness.
Rotary is grateful to these partner organizations for their support.
Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Events Chair Lisa Shanko announced the winners of the club's annual Holiday Raffle. 
On November 12, 2025, Rotarians from across the Northeast MA District (7930) gathered at the Andover Country Club to thank their members who served in the armed forces. These veterans were awarded the prestigious “Paul Harris Fellow” in appreciation of their service. 
The evening’s speaker was retired US Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond, Chief Executive of the Home Base Foundation which was co-founded by the Boston Red Sox and Mass General to assist veterans, service members and their families through “world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research”. Since its founding over 50,000 veterans have been treated.
A memorial garden at Cross and Pleasant Streets was the gathering point in September 11, 2025 for the ceremony, attended faithfully by Rowley Fire and Police department members, residents, and Ipswich-Rowley Rotarians.
Following our regular meeting last Thursday, several Rotarians joined Ipswich Library Director Nora Blake in front of the town Library. The occasion was the dedication of a new granite post and refurbished signage donated to the town by Ipswich-Rowley Rotary. 
Rotarians brought bag lunches and folding chairs to enjoy and explore Pine Grove School’s environmental education space behind the Town’s Community Gardens and school sports field.
Exploring the trail after lunch, Rotarians discovered numerous Ecology signs pointing out forest features, such as This Old Tree, Great Horned Owl, and Animal Signs. A loop around the far end created a blending of children’s literature with the outdoor experience. These StoryWalk signs were spaced at intervals, inviting children and their adults to follow the story of the Honeybees and Pollinators as they explored the wooded landscape.
The trail exit (or trailhead!) expanded the educational space for student pollinator gardens. Signs introduced more ecological concepts throughout the raised beds, such as Composting, Native Plants, Invasive Species, Milkweed, and Monarch Life Cycles. 
At our regular meeting last week, founder and Director Dorothy Calandra shared the story of the Ipswich Dinner Bell. It was formed in 2010 as a “non-profit cooperation of churches and community organizations to serve hot, nutritious meals, free to all who come, and create a mealtime atmosphere of fellowship with one another.” The Committee receives primary support from the Ipswich Masonic Lodge whose members support the food preparation and wash the dishes every week, the Ipswich YMCA which organizes the delivery drivers, and the Institution for Savings and Ebsco that provide generous donations.
At our recent breakfast meetings, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary presented this year’s scholarship recipients and introduced our short-term youth exchange students. 
Rotary Short-Term Youth Exchange is a family-to-family exchange. According to Martha Mauser, the club’s Youth Exchange chair, “When a student applies s/he is matched with a student about the same age and sex from another country. When the match is accepted, the families decide who will go where first. For example, with these boys, Sergio came to Ipswich first to spend about 3.5 weeks with Sean's family. 
Twenty-three teachers at Pine Grove Elementary School, Rowley, were provided workshops in grade specific environmental education curricula through an Ipswich-Rowley Rotary District grant. Each classroom, for a total of 430 students, joined their teachers for a demo outdoor lesson along the new nature trail, Trackers Trail. It elevated the entire schools awareness of the local surroundings and built sustainalbe support for environmental education in the future.
Rowley, MA 01969
United States of America