The Gulf Shores Women's Club will conclude their month long food drive on Sept. 30, designating it as the inaugural GFWC national day of service.

The proclamation was presented at the Sept. 25 Gulf Shores City Council meeting, where it was proclaimed by Mayor Robert Craft and members of the council. According to the official proclamation, the day will be a time when all members of the club come together to raise awareness and take action in the battle against food insecurity.

The club is an active member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a local service organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

According to the official documents presented at the meeting, this year the club partnered with the Christian Service Center in Gulf Shores to provide peanut butter and jelly for anyone in the community who may be experiencing food insecurity. The club also partnered with several local business, collecting peanut butter and jelly during the month of September to be donated for the cause. The participating locations included:

• Beach House Boutique in Gulf Shores;
• Craft Farms Golf Resort;
• Peninsula Golf Club;
• Rouses;
• Publix in Gulf Shores; and
• Regions Bank (corner of 59 and Ft. Morgan Road).

"We have been serving this community since 1949. Our club transforms the lives of people everyday with hands on projects," said Joanne Randolph, president. "This year, 800 clubs will be participating and our local project is a peanut butter and jelly drive."

According to Randolph, while food banks love receiving peanut butter as it is high in protein and easy to store, it is one of the least donated items.

"As of today, we have collected 323 jars of peanut butter and 160 jars of jelly, and we could have never done that by ourselves," Randolph said at the Sept. 25 meeting. "Instead of limiting the drive to just our club, we decided to take it community wide. We knew if we did that we would have a broader reach, and a bigger impact."