Note: This article includes updated quotes. An earlier version will appear in the July 19 print edition of DCN.

Members with local Paradise Valley Resort recently raced rubber ducks again this year for a good cause. 

People have donated $12,800 to The Place of Dawson’s food pantry in Dawsonville through the resort’s annual “Duck Race Fundraiser” held earlier in the month, said Paradise Valley member Jack Crowther.

Crowther and other members presented the nonprofit with a check on July 14. 

“The Place is so grateful for their extremely generous donations to help empower our clients and transform lives,” outreach coordinator Amy Palmer said in a July 17 press release. “ Their amazing donation of $12,800 will directly impact our clients and community. This incredible contribution goes a long way to helping The Place extend our reach in the community.”

This isn’t the resort’s first time donating to the local food pantry. 

Paradise Valley has been supporting RIC-Rack through the duck race for nine years and is generally one of the food pantry’s largest donors, with some resort members coming to donate on a weekly basis. 

Although money was also given out in cash prizes during a race raffle, fellow resort member Don Anderson mentioned that many people choose to give back to the wider community with their prizes. 

Crowther said that the amount gathered so far is “better than last year” and emphasized that the total donations have increased from year to year. 

“We are a part of the community, and we enjoy doing it. A lot of us have a little extra money,” Crowther added, explaining that full-time residents and weekend visitors alike help pitch in to the philanthropic efforts. 

Resort members also give back to other local nonprofits, like the Humane Society of Dawson County, as well as national organizations like the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society. 

“I think it’s just so important, especially with our numbers growing each month with our food pantry clients, to be able to have continued support from Paradise Valley,” Palmer said on Friday. 

She elaborated that getting clients food through the in-person and mobile pantries can allow them to get access to other services, like assistance with applying for food stamps and Medicaid.

“As the needs grow each month, we are implementing programs to help meet those needs,” Palmer added on Friday. “Our mobile food pantry and senior delivery programs are additional resources to help our clients. Dawson County is truly blessed by Paradise Valley’s heart for the community.”