Erick Garcia Luna is a regional outreach director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. His responsibilities include tracking, analyzing, and reporting on several aspects of the economy of the Fed's Ninth District. Erick is a co-author of the Beige Book and has published articles on inflation, business conditions, and labor. His work has been featured in local and national media, including Marketplace and Bloomberg TV.

Prior to joining the Minneapolis Fed, Erick held a variety of roles in the U.S. Senate, the City of Minneapolis, and the University of Minnesota. His academic credentials include coursework in economics and political science from the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City, and a degree in economics from the University of Minnesota.

Last Thursday, we welcomed Leah Hébert Wells, Executive Director of Open Arms of Minnesota. With more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Leah shared a comprehensive overview of the organization's history, growth, and impact. Here are a few highlights she shared with our members:

• Open Arms began during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The organization's founder prepared and served meals from his own kitchen, helping people whom others feared coming into contact with.
• This year marks Open Arms' 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades, the organization has expanded to two locations and now delivers meals throughout Minnesota and into Wisconsin.
• Open Arms is the only organization in the Midwest that provides medically tailored meals at no cost. They also provide meals for clients' dependents and caregivers.
• Their annual budget is $13.5 million, down from approximately $15 million in recent years. To adapt, the organization has shifted toward a more diversified revenue model through Open Farms' Community Supported Agriculture program, catering services, and charitable donations.
• Open Arms serves 1.5 million meals each year and has provided more than 14.5 million meals since the organization was founded.
• The Edina Rotary Club has supported Open Arms since 2017.
• More than 7,000 volunteers support Open Arms each year. The organization is currently seeking drivers and kitchen volunteers. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities and sign up HERE!

We need volunteers for this year's Car Show! Sign up today, HERE!

Mark your Calendars! The Rotary Club of Edina, with support from the 50th & France Business & Professional Association and Explore Edina, will host the eighth-annual Edina Car Show 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 in downtown Edina. Watch the web and Barker for further event details and volunteer opportunities. Sponsorship proceeds go local community non-profits via the Edina Rotary Foundation with $133,500 raised since 2019.

At the August 13, 2026, Rotary meeting, five members became Paul Harris Fellows in recognition of their contributions to The Rotary Foundation (TRF). The pins were presented by Rotary Foundation Director Bob Scott to Ram Gada, Wei Huang,  Feroza Mehta, James Olcott and Tanwi Prigge. Congratulations to our new Paul Harris Fellow honorees

It's never too early to choose your 2026-2027 service committee or audit those committees you may be interested in joining.  Print and review the 2026-2027 Committee list HERE.