The Rotary Club of SeaTac-Tukwila continued a favorite club tradition this summer, grilling hot dogs for local students and families at the 2026 SeaTac Back-to-School Resource Fair. Our club’s connection to the Back-to-School Fair reaches back more than two decades. SeaTac Rotarians Dave Bush and Claudia Dickinson were among those who spearheaded the first event. Lutheran Community Services NW leads the planning for the Back-to-School Fair in partnership with the City of SeaTac, Highline Public Schools, and SeaTac-Tukwila Rotary, preparing backpacks with school supplies for participating students.
The Back-to-School Fair has always been more than a backpack giveaway, however. It involves a wide coalition of community organizations to make successful, connecting students and their families to resources for health care, family services, childcare information, food, clothing and more. The goal is to make sure that students start the new school year ready to learn.
Every year, our Rotary club has served hot dogs, chips, and water to the students and their families attending the Back-to-School Fair. This year, we served nearly 1,000 hot dogs. In partnership with the Puget Sound Firefighters Foundation, we were proud to serve exclusively halal hot dogs. It was a pleasure to serve a meal that more members of our diverse community could enjoy without hesitation. Our service extends beyond the grill, too. In collaboration with the Tukwila Children’s Clothing Bank and Resource Center, Immediate Past President Katrina Dohn led the distribution of clothing, giving students an opportunity to choose some new-to-them items for the school year ahead.
We were proud to carry on the longstanding tradition this year and we look forward to firing up the grills again next year!
