Thanksgiving Baskets

South Everett-Mukilteo Rotary partners with local partners to deliver 350 Thanksgiving Baskets to Families-in-Need

South Everett-Mukilteo Rotary (SEMR) members gathered family, friends, Kamiak Leadership class students, and local area Cub Scout Pack 27 on Sunday to help distribute 350 Thanksgiving food baskets to families in need.  Each basket contained the necessary ingredients to make a Thanksgiving meal to enjoy during the holiday.

The project, started 20 years ago with 50 baskets, has grown in numbers each year. The local Rotary Club pays for the baskets through donations from local businesses and club members. The Rotary Club worked with QFC in Mukilteo to purchase the baskets at cost and the store also let the club utilize the back room and loading dock to assemble the baskets.

Families were selected from the Mukilteo School District to receive baskets. Club members and students from Kamiak High School’s Leadership and Spanish Classes called the families on Wednesday to make sure someone would be available to accept the donation. The Rotarians, students and Cub Scouts then braved the cold and rain early Sunday morning to help organize and fill the bags with all the trimmings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The volunteers began delivering the baskets around the community around 9 a.m. and the 350 baskets were delivered by 11 a.m.

Rotarian Rene’ Porubek chaired the project and was thrilled with the turnout. “It was awesome to see so many people help out with such a worthy cause”, Porubek stated. She continued to say that the partnership with QFC, Kamiak, Cub Scouts and other local businesses was important to the success of the project.