MARYSVILLE — In the course of one month the Marysville Rotary has gone from “Peaches and Dreams” to “broth and bread.”

The Rotary opened the month with its annual fundraising auction Nov. 6, whose theme this year was “A Night of Southern Hospitality.”

Marysville Rotary President-Elect Chris Nation served as auction chair and chose the theme for this year, which inspired close to 60 of the estimated 275 attendees at the Everett Holiday Inn to don Antebellum outfits for the occasion.

“I’m not a Southern gentleman, no,” Nation laughed. “I was born and raised in Washington, but I liked the idea of Southern hospitality symbolizing people’s desire to get out there and help each other.”

Nation acknowledged that previous years’ auctions have accommodated as many as 300 or more attendees, but he noted that last year’s auction attracted 30 fewer attendees than this year, which he sees as a good sign in light of the ongoing challenges of the economy. He also identified this year’s fundraising total as another good sign, with the silent and live auctions drawing an estimated $150,000 in bids, which Nation expects will net more than $110,000 for the Marysville Rotary’s annual fund after the event’s expenses are paid.

According to Nation, between $10,000 and $18,000 will go toward the Marysville Rotary’s ongoing efforts on behalf of education in Guatemala.

“Our next team will be leaving in March or April for 10 days, with a goal of building two more schoolhouses down there,” Nation said.

Of the rest, Nation anticipated that between $40,000 and $60,000 will be reserved for local charitable grants, including efforts to alleviate homelessness within the area for which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are supplying matching grants. Nation described the Marysville Rotary’s Nov. 24 luncheon as a “broth and bread” fundraiser, designed to collect extra for their work with the homeless by scaling back their meal for the day.

“It’s kind of coming full circle from the start of the month,” Nation said. “We already help the Marysville Community Food Bank and Kloz 4 Kidz. There’s a large population of homeless children in Marysville that people just don’t know about. It’s not always a visible problem, but we need to take care of our own.”