From delivering meals to washing windows, Red Deer service club members will be on the job next week.
The third annual Service Week runs Sept. 9-14 in Red Deer with seven local service clubs geared up to give a helping hand and $1,500 to seven local non-profits. It kicks off with an official proclamation from Mayor Ken Johnston at City Hall at 1 p.m. Thursday.
This year volunteers from Rotary Club of Red Deer, Rotary Club of Red Deer Sunrise, Rotary Club of Red Deer East, Red Deer Kinsmen, Lions Club of Red Deer, Optimists Club of Red Deer and Red Deer Kiwanis will donate their time, and add a little elbow grease if needed, for deserving organizations.
Phil Hyde, Rotary Club of Red Deer past-president, said Service Week began as an international initiative and local service clubs got on board in 2022 to create its own version.
It was well received and is back for another year. "It still seemed to have the interest of everybody to keep it going. As long as we can keep it going, we will."
Work begins in the spring to create a list of recipients so everything is ready to go in the fall. The clubs have decided to come up with a list of new recipients each year, said Hyde.
"Because there are so many non-profits in town, we won't go back to them for five years. We want to do new ones for at least five years before repeating."
Some higher-profile non-profits often receive charitable donations and other funding, he added.
"But there's a lot of them that kind of disappear into the woodwork, so it's an opportunity to help and reach out to some of them."
No job is too small for the dozen or so service club volunteers they try to line up for each non-profit.
At the Pregnancy Care Centre, Rotary Club of Red Deer Sunrise members, will spend Tuesday morning washing windows, weeding, basic repairs and other small maintenance jobs.
Central Alberta Humane Society intends to use their $1,500 to stock up on food and Rotary Club of Red Deer members will be there on Wednesday to help unload, stock shelves and help clean up around the facility.
For Meals on Wheels, Lions members will help with deliveries on Thursday.
Other groups getting help this year include the Cadets, Red Deer Hospice, Aspen Heights Micro Society and Safety City.
While the funding is appreciated by the non-profits, the extra hands are often just as welcome.
"Sometimes, as much as the money, I think they appreciate the physical help they are able to get."
On the cash side, the service clubs are already thinking about sweetening the pot.
"This year we're still at $1,500. We're going to try to start to grow the amount of money each year until we get up a little higher."
