Fundraising and Signature Club Projects

The Rotary club of Sidney by the Sea and the Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation host a community lobsterfest fundraising event.

Over 200 people enjoy a sit down feed of delicious lobster (flown in fresh from the East Coast) with all the fixin’s, live music, cash bar and a fantastic silent auction.

This event is a major fundraiser for the Rotary club of Sidney by the Sea and the Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation, and the funds from which are disbursed to programs that help our community and associations provide youth and senior programs.

Tickets for this annual event go on sale in the Spring.

Collaborating with all Rotary Clubs in Greater Victoria, the Mustard Seed Street Church and the Victoria Foundation, our club has supported the Food Rescue Project which began in March 2017. The Mustard Seed operates the food security distribution centre which addresses ever-growing food insecurity and hunger issues throughout the Capital Region. Partnering with local grocery retailers, including Thrifty Foods, Country Grocer, Red Barn Market, Fairway Markets, the Root Cellar and Costco, approximately 10,000 pounds of high-quality food are collected and re-distributed daily through the Food Share Network to over 40 agencies and organizations across the region.

Our club, in partnership with the food security distribution centre established a food share program at Sidney Elementary School. Every Tuesday, our club members pick up fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, dairy and meat from the food security distribution centre and setup tables at Sidney Elementary. Club members hand out the food to parents after school to ensure families have fresh food at home.

Each year approaching the winter holidays, our members sell poinsettias to friends, colleagues and local businesses. These sales raise funds to support various causes from literacy programs, ORCCA dental centre, the Sidney Lions Food Bank and initiatives for local youth and senior. Over 900 poinsettias are sold each year and delivered to buyers by our members in a single day near the end of November.

Each year during the historic annual Saanich Fair, our club operates an ice cream concession serving patrons with delicious ice cream cones sundaes, hotdogs and cold drinks. Funds raised at the concession support Christmas hampers our club prepares for local families in need, scholarships for high school students and sponsoring students to travel and participate in Adventures in Citizenship, a Rotary-led program in Ottawa that educates about what it means to be a Canadian.

New for 2021 and beyond! Our club is planning a paper shredding day where our club will provide individuals and local businesses a paper shredding service to destroy sensitive documents while protecting the environment Further details about this project are found in club news.

Each year our club members staff a refreshment station and hand out water, sports drinks and food to athletes passing on their bikes participating in the Victoria Ironman. Funds raised by participating in this event are used to support various community projects.