The annual Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner, coming this year on Saturday, Feb. 27, to the Sanibel Community House has been a must-do event for islanders and guests for well over 30 years.
This most scrumptious of island traditions features an all-you-can-eat Italian treat, capped off by the Kiwanis’ acclaimed “secret recipe” spaghetti sauce. Tickets for the dinner — which include pasta, meatballs, salad, toasted garlic bread, and soda or wine — are $8 per person in advance or $9 per person at the door. (Kids under 10 get in free with an adult.) Doors open at 4 p.m. and dinner is served until 8 p.m.
Advance tickets can be purchased from our very own Andy or any other Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis member.
After dinner, the excitement continues in the Community House auditorium until 10 p.m., with coffee, dessert, music, dancing and the irresistible action of the evening’s raffle and auction. The competition for raffle and auction prizes can be spirited and fun to watch. This year’s lineup of prizes is shaping up to be impressive, ranging from unusual merchandise to vacations, golf outings and restaurant packages.
While the event provides fun for the entire community (including the Kiwanis members who work tirelessly to put it on), the overriding purpose is a serious one – raising funds which the Kiwanis Foundation uses for grants to benefit local youth education and recreation programs.
“We try to make sure everyone who comes is well fed and has a good time,” says Eric Pfeiffer, chapter president. “But the real reason we do it is to support the Kiwanis’ mission of supporting youth education and well-being. Our scholarship program alone has helped a lot of deserving Island kids attend college who would otherwise not have been able to go.”
