CINCINNATI — The Rubber Duck Regatta at Riverfest raises money each year to help feed families in the Tri-State.
Each duck costs $5 and the money directly benefits hungry families.
“Our motto is buy a duck feed a child so the money raised goes to help feed children and this is the largest fundraiser for the Freestore Foodbank and the most important because 1 our 7 neighbors in the Tri-State are at risk of hunger and 90,000 of those are children,” Mark Bodnar, a director at the Freestore Foodbank.
Bodnar said this event is Freestore Foodbank’s biggest and most important fundraiser of the year. It’ll be virtual for the third year in a row, but Bodnar noted they had record sales the past two years they’ve done it virtually.
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Part of the reason it’s virtual is because of the Purple People Bridge.
“Well, the Purple People Bridge has some structural issues, so we were unable to put the two trucks and the crane on the bridge, so that was the main reason. We could have easily done it but a lot of it has to do with the Purple People Bridge,” he said.
Last year they sold 220,000 rubber ducks and have raised at least $1 million each year for the past eight years. He added they are behind this year in terms of the number of ducks sold and hope to sell more before the virtual event.
Bodnar said the demands for food are just as high as they were during the COVID pandemic because of inflation.
If you would like to buy a duck you can call 929-DUCK or visit their website.
