— from David Turnoy —

If you’ve shopped at Island Market on Saturdays during October, you’ve likely seen Odd Fellows members selling raffle tickets for a cord of firewood. Money raised from this effort is used for our college scholarship fund, awarded to two Orcas high school students each year.

This year we’re taking a leap forward into renewable energy, offering a unit of Community Solar from OPALCO as an additional prize for the raffle drawing. One unit of Community Solar helps produce renewable electricity for our county and earns the owner about $400 worth of credit on their OPALCO electricity bill over a 20-year period.

So this year when you see the Odd Fellows outside Island Market asking you to buy a raffle ticket, you will have your choice of entering the drawing for firewood or the drawing for a Community Solar unit. Thanks for helping us help the community.