submitted by Carole Trone; photo by Mary Ellen O’Brien
“More than a store. It is a gathering place,” was how Joe Maldonado summarized the special role of Luna’s Groceries in its first year of operations. Luna’s Groceries is the result of the inspiration, research and hard work of Joe and wife/business partner Mariam Maldonado, longtime residents of Madison’s Allied/Dunn’s Marsh neighborhood. As of last fall, they are owners of the only full-service grocery store in this diverse, working class neighborhood.
They love this neighborhood but recognized how residents have struggled to find nearby affordable and healthy food since the area’s only grocery store closed in 2009. Joe and Mariam both recounted rich childhood experiences of daily visits to the local store in their respective upbringings in Milwaukee and the Dominican Republic. Joe explained how “food deserts”—defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as the lack of convenient access to nutritious fruits, vegetables, meats and grains—hit low-income communities of color particularly hard.
Luna’s Groceries was preceded by a year of research into national, regional and local data on troubling patterns of food deserts located in low-income neighborhoods with correspondingly high numbers of chronic health problems. The Allied/Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood was one of ten identified food deserts in Madison, further challenged by its location squeezed into a growing and massive road and highway interchange on Madison’s southwest side.
Nine months after opening, Luna’s is on target to exceed sales projections. Perhaps more importantly, Luna’s has become the answer to isolation, with an unexpected booming social media engagement, monthly cooking classes, demand for hot specialty foods, and a bi-monthly “Coffee at Luna’s” interview-format gathering on education, health and social issues that affect community members. With Luna’s Groceries, Madison residents can feed body and soul.
If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch the video here.
Michael Johnson, President and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, delivered on his promise to share “The Ten Characteristics of Successful Non Profit Leadership” with the Rotary Club audience on June 5th. He was profiled in last week’s Rotary News and as Rotarians and guests learned, he lives his commitment to improving conditions for young people through his own successful leadership of a major non profit organization. Sharing statistics of the impact of non profit organizations and position in the U.S. economy, Johnson had some eye-opening information for us. But he focused on the challenge of keeping the current situation in focus and emphasized the challenges of adequate employment and educational opportunities.
After congratulating 2019 Rotarian scholars, UW Foundation Sr. Director of Development Trent Jackson shared his Principles of Life. Many Rotarians remember Jackson as the sixth all time leading scorer of the UW Badger basketball team.
Christian W. Overland has been the Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society since his appointment in February 2018. He came to Madison from sixteen years in various positions at The Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, Michigan.
Being a past Rotarian when he was a private citizen, Governor Tony Evers opened with some personal observations. First, he applauded the audience for their civic mindedness and stressed the importance we play as role models for our young people. Second, he talked about the small private liabilities of being in a major public position. For instance, he asked how do you sell a car? It took him and his wife over a month to figure that out. In summary of his private life, he said, “I try to figure it out; not worry; keep steady.”
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 