Words by Katie Brownfiel. Photo courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg.
The Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg defines the fall season with seafood signature events. Their annual Shrimp Feast is a community staple for all- you can eat shrimp and sides while engaging in fellowship with hundreds of attendees. Their annual lobster sale aims to promote fellowship in the comfort of your own home with affordable fresh seafood. The proceeds support the Kiwanis Club’s four headliner charities: Colonial CASA, DreamCatchers, Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio Playground at the Williamsburg Regional Library, and Grove Christian Outreach.
This year, the lobster sale was held on November 12th in the Walsingham Academy parking lot. Members of the Kiwanis Club of Lynchburg drove to Boothbay Harbor, Maine on November 11th to pick up 522 live lobsters. The lobsters were then handed off the next morning in Lynchburg to the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg. Mike Lewis, one of the central organizers of the fundraiser, notes that the “biggest benefit is that they’re not sitting in a grocery store tank in recycled water. They are coming out of the cold waters of the Atlantic and delivered in about 24 hours.” Lewis said that the club aimed to sell 300 lobsters to meet last year’s sales total of 316. This year, however, exceeded expectations with over 500 lobsters sold.
Each lobster was a minimum of 1.25 pounds and was sold for $20, raising a total net income of $4,366.17 for the headliner charities. Lewis estimates that the club has raised close to $40,000 over a ten year period with this fundraiser. When the fundraiser first began, the proceeds went towards eliminating neonatal tetanus in developing countries. Once the club’s goal was met with that fundraising initiative, the club began to donate the proceeds to their headliner charities. Lewis is proud to say, “It’s all about the kids. All of the funds go back into the community to help kids in some form or fashion.”
With their focus on supporting the youth of Williamsburg, the club actively involves members of its Service Leadership Programs in the lobster distribution. In addition to the Kiwanians, four members of the College of Williams & Mary’s CKI club were present as well as three members of Lafayette High School’s Key Club. These volunteers assisted attendees by directing the incoming traffic, helping guests with registration, and transferring the live lobsters to guests’ cars.
If you are interested in learning more about the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg, please visit their website: https://williamsburgkiwanis.org/. Their next signature event will be Shamrock the ‘Burg on March 16, 2023.
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