Americans are cutting back on spending in some areas this holiday season.

Around 150 volunteers are hoping to pack 30,000 meals for those facing food insecurity in under two hours.

Runners will dash through the University of Michigan central campus, in Nichol’s Arboretum, along parts of the Huron River, and all the way to (and from) Washtenaw Community College.

Celebrate five years of the Universal Access Playground this weekend.

The money and food raised during the Rotary Fights Child Hunger drive will be distributed to 170 local Food Gatherers partners who provide grocery and food services.

Between March 7-18, funds and nonperishable food can be donated to the Rotary Fights Child Hunger Spring fund and food drive to hit this year’s goal of providing 150,000 meals to area families.

The 10th Ann Arbor Marathon is back this weekend.

The Ann Arbor Marathon has received city approval to take place in October.

ANN ARBOR – The annual Rotary Fights Summer Hunger Spring Food Drive benefitting Food Gatherers will start on March 1 and run throughout the month. The partnership between Washtenaw County’s food bank and the Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor North and Ypsilanti is a yearly effort to alleviate hunger in the community during the summer months. Using the food and funds raised from the drive, Food Gatherers will supply its network of 170 partner organizations, including meal programs, food pantries and other emergency grocery services. Throughout summer break, Food Gatherers -- in coordination with its partners -- sponsors more than 25 Summer Food Service Program sites to provide meals to local students. Drop off food donations at the Food Gatherers Warehouse (same address as above) from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

ANN ARBOR – The Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti have raised the equivalent of 120,000 meals for Food Gatherers as part of the 2020 Rotary Fights Child Hunger fund drive. The clubs partner with Washtenaw County’s food rescue program each year to donate meals to children who experience food insecurity during the summer months when school’s out. The campaign brought together local organizations, businesses and individuals to combat a spike in child food insecurity caused by the health crisis. By adapting the traditional food drive, the Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti provided critical support to meet an unprecedented increase in need.”✉ Like what you’re reading? Partner programs include meal programs, food pantries and emergency grocery services that service families and individuals throughout Washtenaw County.

Aidah Kobusingye, right, gives blood at a blood-donation drive organized by the Rotary club and Uganda Blood Transfusion Services in City Square, Kampala, Uganda Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Health authorities in Uganda say the supply of blood has sharply declined since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as fewer people donate and schools remain closed. Children under 5 and patients going into surgery are also among those frequently in need of a blood transfusion, he said. The Uganda Red Cross, which helps authorities to mobilize blood donors, said it hasn't been easy to recruit donors during the pandemic. Local media in Romania have cited fear of COVID-19 infections among the reasons for a decline in the number of blood donors.

WHITMORE LAKE, Mich. Robert Bashara, a former Rotary Club president in suburban Detroit who was convicted of arranging his wifes murder, has died, more than five years after he was sentenced to life in prison, the Corrections Department said Tuesday. Bashara, 62, died Monday at a hospital, said spokesman Chris Gautz, who declined to offer additional details. Bashara, known as Master Bob, was accused of hiring a handyman to kill Jane Bashara so he could devote more time to cavorting with other women who shared his desire for sexual bondage and domination. Jane Bashara was strangled in their garage in Grosse Pointe Park in 2012. Timeline: Jane Bashara murder case