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Meet the Green Team: The unsung heroes behind the Bainbridge Island Rotary Auction
Published 4:02 am Monday, May 25, 2026
From setup to breakdown, the Rotary Auction Green Team keeps everything running smoothly
The Bainbridge Island Rotary Auction doesn’t begin when the doors open – and it doesn’t end when the sale does. The Green Team is there before the crowds arrive and still there after they leave, doing the work that makes more than a million dollars in community impact possible.
“I have never met such a dedicated group,” says Green Team member Karla Mather. “Every year we’re working harder than the year before.”
Mather helps coordinate the harvester program, which works with community organizations who take inventory left over from the sale and has watched that dedication build year after year.
Founded in 2009 by Jo Anna Ellis, the Green Team has become a vital part of the annual Rotary Auction.
“Many people don’t realize that not a cent of what we raise goes back to the Rotary,” says Tom McCloskey, three-time auction chair. “Everything raised is distributed right back into the community through grants and donations.”
The books department at the 2025 Rotary Auction.
Keeping it green behind the scenes at the Rotary Auction
The Green Team recycles thousands of pounds of materials, composts all food and kitchen waste, sorts and diverts recyclables, saves hundreds of boxes for post-sale packing and rehomes thousands of pounds of reusable goods – making sure as little as possible ends up in the landfill.
“Everyone knows the auction raises a lot of money for our community,” says Green Team manager, Deb Rudnick. “but not everyone understands the effort that goes into it and how much is diverted from the landfill.”
Not everything that comes through the door can go up for sale. Broken, chipped or surplus items – and anything outside what the auction accepts – are redirected to what regulars call the LOO: the Lawn of Opportunity, where goods are sorted by volunteers before passing to community partners and Goodwill.
“Quality matters more than quantity,” Rudnick adds. “If something is truly garbage, please don’t donate it, throw it away.”
Donations ready to head to Goodwill postsale.
Learn more about the Green Team and what they do at their open house May 28, 6 – 7 p.m. at the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN), 8890 Three Tree Lane NE.
A volunteer open house for all departments is set for June 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Woodward Middle School, which also hosts donation drop-offs July 5 to 8 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Preview night is July 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. and sale day is July 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Volunteers can register through noon on July 10th. To sign up or learn more, visit bainbridgerotaryauction.org/volunteer
Follow @bainbridgerotaryauction on Instagram and Facebook.
Find out how to donate and what they don’t accept at: bainbridgerotaryauction.org/donate/.