Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce board president Michell Marshall presented inaugural awards before a packed crowd of members and friends at the chamber’s annual membership meeting, Oct. 27.

The chamber board solicited nominations from its membership in two categories, and then narrowed down the nominees based on number of nominations and supporting statements.

The Community Service Award honors a chamber member (individual, business or organization) who makes contributions to the community a priority, giving time and/or money back to Orcas Island in a way that benefits the community.

Of 25 nominees, the winner was Orcas Family Health Center and Dr. David Shinstrom. A member who nominated the center wrote that it “has provided primary medical care for over 3,000 Orcas community members. Over 1,000 of these had no health insurance or were under-insured. That speaks volumes for a chamber member that steps up to answer the needs of this community.”

The Environmental Excellence Award recognizes a chamber member that utilizes environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices in its day-to-day operations. They go that extra step to make sure their operations are compatible with our beautiful environment.

Of 16 nominees, the winner was Charles Dalton and The Kitchen Restaurant. Marshall said Dalton has a long-standing arrangement with local farmers to purchase any produce they bring to him, uses recycled and recyclable paper products and no toxic cleaners, and in the past few months has been able to eliminate his dumpster because he has an arrangement to compost all table scraps.