There must be a couple of 100 thousand chocolate covered almonds floating around Kingston this morning after the Rotary Clubs of Kingston, 50th anniversary Labour Day “Nut Drive” fundraising event.
That’s my estimate of the number of nuts sold when 61 carloads of 3 or 4 Queen’s University engineering students pile into each car, each with a box of 30 packages filled with about a dozen chocolate covered almonds each fan out across all of Kingston to sell them door-to-door at $5.00 a package.
If each of those 200 plus students sold nearly 90% (based on the success rate of my 4 students) then the Rotary clubs must have taken in over $30,000 for the couple of hours everyone gave of their time. Counting the drivers that’s a revenue rate of about $50.00 per hour of time worked.
Organized by Rotary Club of Kingston Rotarians, Marci McMullen, and Pete Burrell the logistical preparation was impressive to behold. They certainly deserve praise from their fellow Rotarians for the smoothness with which the drive was executed. What follows is a story in pictures of the event.
A photo essay of the 2022 Go Nuts Drive | |
 Drivers lined up their cars in the Tindall field Parking lot |  They then went to the registration desk to check in. |
 First their names were checked off the list of 61 driver volunteers |  Next they received tha map of their area of the city. |
 Next Lori Sweet checks of the area of the city assigned |  In the meantime the engineering students were lining up for pick-up |
 Co-organizer Pete Burrell smiles with supply truck in background |  Mayor Paterson pays a visit and chats with a student |
 Rotarians chat while they wait for loading to start |  More socializing while drivers wait |
 Engineering students unload and stack Chocolate Covered Almond covered boxes for pickup |  Boxes are stacked and ready to go |
 Pete Burrell start drivers to pick up nuts and students |  Rotarian loads trunk with 3 or 4 cartons depending on size of car |
 More cars & drivers follow |  Drives then proceed to pick up students |
 Drivers had to be CPIC checked to pick up under 18 year olds |  18 and over could be transported by all drivers |
 Students canvass door to door homes often in pairs |  A student approaching a house |
 After covering area assigned drivers and students returned to Tindall Field parking lot and returned unsold nuts |  Drivers then took the cash proceeds to the cashiers where it was counted and recorded |
 Coins were sorted and rolled by Rotarians |  Co-organizer Marci McMullen looking more relaxed as the event draws to a close. |
In closing, on the way back to the Tindall parking lot, my students discussed whether they would do it again and all said yes but one suggested he would run next time because two hours was too long.
News alert courtesy of Paul Elsley
Kingston couple buy up all remaining chocolate covered almonds in honour of their daughter's graduating from Queen's U in Engineering
An amazing story from last night. I had just started my route last evening with four Engineering frosh. One of the students came back to my car to say that a customer wanted to buy all of the boxes of chocolate covered almonds that we have. I thought he had to be mistaken since we had most of our 120 boxes yet unsold (we had sold 29 by this time). So I went with him to the home in question. Sure enough, Rob Bankosky of RMB Renovations and his wife Christina were keen to buy whatever we had left to sell. Just to confirm, that was 91 boxes ($455). I asked Rob, who happens to be a neighbour, why he wanted to do this. He and his wife explained that his daughter had recently graduated from the Engineering program at Queen's and they wanted to do something special this year. The Rotary Club's of Kingston, Napanee and Gananoque cannot thank them enough!