PO Rotary raises nearly $150K at annual auction

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 31, 2026

This year’s Port Orchard Rotary fundraiser benefited Permission To Start Dreaming Foundation, a non-profit in Gig Harbor that aims to help veterans and first responders overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.

The annual fundraiser was held March 21 at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton. This year, gross profits reached $148,000, shared PO Rotary Auction chair Leslie Reynolds-Taylor.

Rotary’s Crab Feed and Auction has been a staple in the community for over two decades, supporting local projects and organizations. The event consists of a theme, this year’s being ‘Caribbean Nights’, and a dungeness crab meal was provided. The crab, a highlight of the event, is caught just a few days before the auction, cooked and put on ice from New Day Fisheries in Port Townsend.

This was the first year Rotary partnered with PTSDF. Each year, there is a different nonprofit that addresses a need in South Kitsap that partners with the Rotary for this event. With a large military community in South Kitsap, it seemed fitting for this year’s partnership, shared Reynolds-Taylor. “It’s been long overdue that our Veterans need help when they come back from war,” she said. “Could be financially, homes, mental illness, etc. Permission to Start Dreaming is one of several organizations that are helping. We raised $25,000 at (the) auction.”

Reynolds-Taylor shared what Rotary’s hopes are for South Kitsap through this event. Simple but impactful, the goal is to raise enough money through these events to give back to the community. Simply attending, she shared, creates a sense of family. “Its the event of the year to see your friends, year after year,” she said.