From PERRYSBURG ROTARY CLUB
The Perrysburg Rotary Club has taken steps to combat food insecurity. The club achieved record net proceeds from the 2026 Bootleggers Bash fundraiser held on April 24 at Hilton Garden Inn. The funds will be shared between the Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation and local organizations also working to combat food insecurity across Wood County.
Bootleggers Bash was the Perrysburg Rotary Club’s 42nd annual fundraising event, with Mercy Health as the event’s presenting sponsor. The fundraiser brought together community members for an evening of jazz performances from a group of entertainers that included The Hepcat Revival Band, “Ragtime Rick” Grafin on piano during dinner, and speakeasy room performances from vocalists Kim Buehler and Ramona Collins, accompanied by guitarists Randy Sobel and Aayan Naim.
During the evening, representatives from Wood County Committee on Aging, Otsego Food Pantry, and Connecting Kids to Meals addressed attendees to offer human interest stories of community members the organizations have helped.
Silent auction items with online bidding and raffle ticket purchases for a New Orleans trip kept audience members alert throughout the night. Jerry Anderson, former news anchor, added energy and enthusiasm to the evening as master of ceremonies and during a “paddle up” session for people to contribute. All was in support of local hunger relief efforts.
Food insecurity remains significant in communities across the Wood County region:
- One in seven people and one in five children in Wood County face food insecurity
- 15% of county residents struggle to consistently put food on the table
- 31% of school-age children qualify for free or reduced-price meals
“Food insecurity is often invisible, but it affects families in every corner of our community,” said Jack Sculfort, executive director of the Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation. “Bootleggers Bash brought people together not only for a memorable evening, but for a meaningful purpose – helping ensure our neighbors have access to nutritious meals and the support they need. The generosity of this community was on display at Bootleggers Bash as people were genuinely focused on helping to make a real and lasting difference.”
The organizations receiving support from Bootleggers Bash include:
- Bowling Green Christian Food Pantry
- Church of Christ
- Community Food Pantry/Weston
- Connecting Kids to Meals
- Eastwood Community Food Pantry/Pemberville
- Feed Our Families/Zoar Lutheran Church
- First Christian Church of Bowling Green
- Fishes and Loaves/Unity United Methodist Church
- Islamic Food Bank/The Heights
- Otsego Food Pantry
- St. John’s Lutheran Church Food Pantry
- St. Thomas More Food Pantry
- Tim’s Rescue Kitchen
- Wood County Committee on Aging
The Perrysburg Rotary Club is a dedicated organization of over 90 community leaders committed to strengthening Perrysburg and the surrounding area through hands-on projects, fundraising efforts, and community partnerships. Its philanthropic arm, the Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) organization that is celebrating 40 years of service. Since the year 2000, the foundation has contributed more than $2.5 million to local and global initiatives.
