Lake Oswego Lobster Feed raises over $350K

Organizer Skip O’Neill said the 40th annual Rotary Club of Lake Oswego and Lakewood Center for the Arts Lobster Feed was one of the best he’s ever attended.

The event, where Lakeridge High School lacrosse players cooked fresh lobster at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, attracted 517 attendees and raised over $107,000 in a special appeal that will go to for various organizations — including some that fight human trafficking — Saturday, June 15 and $350,000 overall.

“It was a very, very successful Lobster Feed,” O’Neill said.

“From everyone that came up to me, it was a smashing success; the room was packed; the bidding went high,” Rotary organizer Sue Linnerooth added.

Organizations that will receive financial support through the feed include: Safety Compass, which works with women who have been trafficked; Home Plate, which helps feed at-risk kids; 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.

“I think the speaker motivated the room,” O’Neill said. “Not a lot of people are highly educated on how big and severe the problem of human trafficking is and how it focuses on youth around the world.”

The event included an auction where attendees could bid on vacations, home renovations and more. The Rotary also considers the Lobster Feed to be the kickoff event of the summer.