Rotarian Julie Hungar struggled across a parking lot one gray Seattle day, weighed down by clothing on hangers and in overstuffed bags.

A shopping spree gone wildly out of control? Far from it. Hungar, of the Rotary Club of Seattle-International District, was helping out in a clothing drive as part of a spring 2007 service competition between districts 5030 (Washington) and 7950 (Massachusetts; Rhode Island). In a contest to see which district could command the highest percentage of participating clubs, District 7950 emerged victorious with 72 percent. District 5030 wasn’t too far behind at 65 percent.

To spice up the competition, Mike Montgomery, 2006-07 governor of District 5030, wagered 20 pounds of fresh salmon that his district would win, and Terri Fitch, 2006-07 governor of District 7950, accepted the challenge, putting up 20 pounds of fresh lobster.

The East Coast clubs carried out a variety of projects, including community cleanups, food drives, and restorations. Fortified by large quantities of donuts and coffee, the Rotary Club of Sharon, Mass., joined forces with Freemasons to paint the common areas of an apartment building for low-income residents. The vaulted, sunlit lobby was bustling with early-morning activity as the volunteers maneuvered among paint trays and ladders to coat the beige walls with a vibrant peach color. They made good progress but knew that three stories of stairwells were waiting for them. “It’s a lot of work,” said club member Jane Desberg. “We’ll probably need several days to complete it.”

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Rotarians rolled up their sleeves on projects that, aside from the clothing drive, inclu­ded clearing brush at a park, doing home improvement work at a health care facility, and shelving books at the library of a nonprofit organization that serves homeless people.

In the end, the prizes were awarded to individual clubs via lottery on the East Coast and special selection on the West Coast.

Montgomery and Terry Pickering, District 5030’s Service Above Self coordinator for 2006-07, awarded the lobster to the Rotary Club of Kirkland, Wash., which sent 30 members to sort and code library books at a local elementary school.

The winners of the District 7950 drawing were the Rotary clubs of Nauset (Orleans), Mass.; Scituate, R.I.; and Sharon, Mass. The Nauset (Orleans) club cosponsored a child identification program, and the Scituate club held a blood drive.

“At the end of the day, both districts declared the winner as Rotary, our districts, and our communities,” Pickering says. “It’s all about enjoying our time as volunteers.”