Cupertino is Crazy About Crustaceans

The net dollars caught at the may not yet be cracked, but Tom Dyer says being one of the first, if not the first, crab feed functions in the area helped bring in about $16,000 to the nonprofit group.

Dyer says he thinks an the week of the crab feed and an ad the group ran in the Cupertino Courier may have spawned a wave of attention because a surge in ticket sales occurred in the days just before the Jan. 13 event.

This was the first year that Rotarians turned over the bulk of duties during the event to Interactors, the students at Monta Vista, Lynbrook, and Cupertino, who benefit from some of the dollars collected through events such as the crab feed.

The pot of money collected comes from ticket sales and auction items donated such as Ridge wine donated by Stevens Creek Quarry, rounds of golf, and even use of a 16-yard Dumpster.

Money from the crab feed supports local residents and organizations such as and others.

Rotarians also work to collect money for larger international projects such as its focus on eradicating polio. At , co-sponsored by the Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, Rotary President Larry Dean announced that for the past year not one case of polio was reported in India, one country where the group has focused its efforts.

Through a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which put up $355 million, Rotary International raised $200 million toward its goal of immunization programs.