Community Service


 
 
 
Community Dinner
 
Every Tuesday night since March 2009, the Rotary Club of Summit County and many partners in our community have served a complete, balanced meal to our neighbors in need. Even during COVID, we prepared meals that could be picked up and taken home to enjoy. Each Tuesday, from 5:00 - 7:00, anyone in the community hungry for nourishment -including food or fellowship - is welcome at the Elks Lodge in Silverthorne. Meals include fresh fruit, salad, a main and side dish, plus dessert. We have raised over $500k to purchase food, pay for the space, upgrade the cooking as food storage areas, and keep people fed. We are proud to be the primary driving force behind this effort and thank our many community partners.
Fresh fruit salad and Rotary Volunteers
 By the end of 2023, we will have served nearly 189,000 meals - with a goal of more than 200,000 in 2025. In this photo, Rotarians are celebrating 100,000 meals served. It shows we've provided thousands of warm, delicious meals to many folks who needed them. We're making a real difference in our community!
Fresh green salad and happy Rotarians.
Plastic Recycling
Like most of our community projects, plastic recycling started as the idea of one person passionate about doing whatever could be done to keep plastics out of our landfills. In just a few short weeks, our club's passion for plastics became a mantra, and we began a community-wide campaign to collect, clean, weigh, and properly recycle plastic waste. We are closing in on 10,000 pounds of plastics that we have recycled and kept out of landfills.  Benches have rewarded our efforts for every 2,000 pounds and are located throughout the community. The amount of plastic jammed into this SUV is 126 pounds. Imagine what 10,000 pounds looks like!  We are making a difference!
 
If you are interested in helping us recycle, clean, and sort plastic, please reach out using the Contact Us page. 
Timberline/Rotary Mobility
In a joint partnership between Rotary and Timberline Adult Day Program, much of the medical equipment necessary for people to use during recovery is available for the community to check out at no charge. Crutches, walkers, canes, wheelchairs, scooters, toilet extenders, etc., can assist people in need. Timberline Adult Day Program participants keep the inventory logged and the storage unit organized. This gives them a project to work on that enhances their daily activities while ensuring the inventory of the mobility tools is up-to-date and accurate. Rotary provides the leadership and funds to store the equipment. Free use of the equipment is available to anyone in the community.
 
For additional information call 970- 668-2952
Adopt-an-Angel
Each year around Christmas, our Rotary Club works with non-profits in our community to identify families in need. We provide new coats for each child in the family, along with a selection of toys. In 2023, we plan to serve over 400 families with nearly 700 children. The community "adopts" an Angel Ornament from participating retailers throughout the county, then buys an age-appropriate toy for the child named on the Angel. Toy drop-off collection points are located throughout the community, where the new, unwrapped toys are collected for distribution at the Silverthorne Pavilion. Summit Rotary purchases the coats, and other toys as needed to ensure each child gets one coat and at least one other gift. Families stop by to pick up the  "gifts" to wrap up for Christmas!
Troop Support
Once again club members are partnering with USO of Colorado to prepare more than 225 deployment bags for Troops heading to overseas locations.  These bags contain items like snacks, cards, puzzles, a toothbrush, hand sanitizer, and other personal hygiene items that can be easily added to a soldier’s pack to tide them over while traveling multiple days to a foreign deployment location.  We thank our Troops for their service and for keeping our country safe and strong!