Lake Oswego Rotary focuses on preventing trafficking through Lobster Feed fundraiser

By serving fresh seafood to locals and auctioning off vacations and appliances, the Rotary Club of Lake Oswego strives to raise funds and awareness to fight human trafficking through its Lobster Feed fundraiser.

This year’s event will be held from 5-10 p.m. Saturday, June 15 in tents at the Lakewood Center for the Arts. The event raises money for the Rotary and its causes as well as the Lakewood center.

Organizations that will receive financial support through the feed include Safety Compass, which works with women who have been trafficked, and Home Plate, an nonprofit that helps feed at-risk kids. Further, the event will raise money for Reborn Bikes, which refurbishes bikes for those in need, and Fly Fishing Collaborative, an organization that builds aquaponics farms to provide a sustainable livelihood for women and prevent them from falling victim to trafficking.

Funds from the event’s paddle raise will go toward empowering young women in education, economic development and preventing trafficking.

“The big thing on our paddle raise is we will be talking about projects we do internationally and locally to make sure women don’t end up in situations where they get trafficked,” organizer Sue Linnerooth said.

The feed, which has taken place in town for 40 years and attracted over 500 people last year, will include lobster (as well as steak and vegetarian lasagna) cooked by Lakeridge High School lacrosse players. Attendees can bid on silent auction items like European cruises via Travel & Cruise Desk of Lake Oswego and a kitchen application package provided by Standard TV and Appliance, among many others.

“Rotary is one of the largest service organizations in the world; we have 140 members in the Lake Oswego Rotary and we do projects that range from high school kids’ scholarships to helping build schools in foreign countries. We are a very positive, non-religious or political organization whose charter is to do good in the world,” Linnerooth said.

Linnerooth also described the event as a great way to kick off the summer and to see friends and acquaintances in the community. For more information on the event, visit https://www.lobsterfeed.org/about-the-event.