Fundraiser to support Food4Kids program

The Rotary Club of Oak Harbor continues to help keep children fed amid the rising cost of food.

By Luisa Loi • March 7, 2025 1:30 am

The Rotary Club of Oak Harbor continues to help keep children fed amid the rising cost of food.

Since 2014, the Rotary Club has distributed 57,500 bags of quick and easy meals for low-income children in the Oak Harbor School District as part of the Food4Kids Backpack Program, according to club member Terri Hulett.

This effort is possible thanks to community donations and fundraising events, such as the upcoming Luck O’ the Irish fundraiser dinner.

At 5:30 p.m. next Saturday, the club welcomes community members to this annual event. Each $100 ticket will be used to support the Rotary’s backpack program, the community service scholarships donated in conjunction with Hearts and Hammers and the about $30,000 in scholarships for high school graduates. Cocktails are served starting at 6 p.m., while the prime rib dinner is served at 7 p.m., according to the club’s website.

Guests can also enjoy a lottery-inspired game with a grand prize of about $1,500, according to public relations specialist Reid Schwartz. The dinner will take place at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club, located at 1301 Catalina Drive in Oak Harbor. For tickets, visit ohrotary.org.

Ken Hulett, a Rotary member who has been leading the program with his wife Terri, said the need continues to increase as food becomes less affordable to families. As a result, last year’s budget had to increase from $40,000 to $50,000, as previously reported by the News-Times.

The need also grows throughout the year, with the school year starting with about 100 students and later growing to about 200 as counselors continue to identify and refer low-income students to the program, he said.

Every Thursday, about a dozen volunteers gather next to the bus barn on Southeast Midway Boulevard to fill about 200 paper bags with canned soups, protein bars, mac ‘n cheese, juice pouches, hot chocolate, instant oatmeal and granola bars. The bagging and trash sorting process takes about two hours, at the end of which drivers like Schwartz and Rotary President Jerry Sanders take their loaded cars to five different schools.

Before school breaks, Schwartz said, Rotary volunteers pack double the amount of food to make sure kids are covered for more than just a weekend.

The volunteers, which typically are of retirement age, are all involved in a variety of philanthropic efforts in the community, Ken Hulett said. Helping others is in their nature.

“You know you can tap somebody on the shoulder and say, ‘Hey, we need some help,’” he said. “And people do it.”

“Rotary is about service above self. It’s about giving back to our community.” Schwartz said.

Donations also help the Rotary buy frozen, microwaveable food for The Haven, the homeless shelter located in Coupeville. To make a donation or learn more, visit ohrotary.org. You can also mail a check to Rotary Club of Oak Harbor PO Box 442, Oak Harbor, WA 98277.