PENDLETON — COVID-19 had turned Sept. 18 into just another Friday rather than the Friday of Round-Up week.

There would be no Westward Ho! Parade, a Main Street packed with vendors or thousands of spectators in the area for another day of rodeo, but a core group of Round-Up and Happy Canyon officials gathered at the rodeo grounds to celebrate the initiative that had taken the Round-Up’s place: Let ‘Er Buck Cares.

Since June, when the rodeo and night show were canceled, Round-Up and Happy Canyon have been raising money for the organizations that rely on the events for revenue. Round-Up Publicity Director Pat Reay said Let ‘Er Buck Cares raised enough money to distribute grants to 35 organizations. The Round-Up would present checks to six groups on Sept. 18, with more presentations in the coming weeks.

During a normal Round-Up week, these groups would pour beer, manage a parking lot or run a vending booth, using the proceeds to help keep their operations going for the following year. The Round-Up’s cancellation complicated their fundraising picture, and the Let ‘Er Buck Cares check helped them not only make up for the loss of the rodeo, but all the other fundraisers made impossible by the coronavirus pandemic.

Altrusa President Karin Power said her organization usually spends the Round-Up week as local “ambassadors,” using their volunteer positions as RV park managers to provide welcome packets, travel directions and showers.

“We keep the Round-Up clean,” Power joked.

Not spending the week knee deep in volunteer work has been an odd feeling for Power and the rest of the Altrusans. Power said she’s recently reminded herself that she shouldn’t impulsively offer her help if she sees an unfamiliar person in town.

For Altrusa, the Round-Up’s $21,000 check would help make their work possible, which includes providing food bags for hungry children and packs of essential supplies to homeless students.

For the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter, the $7,400 was also vital to help keep operations going when animals are still in need of care and attention, President Melissa Nathan said. Vice President Shaindel Beers added that the pandemic has forced cancellations at the spay and neuter clinic, meaning the population of homeless animals is actually rising.

A check made out to the Pendleton Lions Club meant it could continue offering visual and hearing assistance to people in the community while the Pendleton Rotary Club was planning to use its Let ‘Er Buck Cares money to restore its scholarship program.

Other groups planned to use the sudden financial windfall to make new investments.

Pendleton Swim Association coach Tony Nelson said the $22,000 from Let ‘Er Buck Cares nearly matched the nonprofit’s annual operating budget. Nelson said the association could use the new funds to provide financial assistance to youths who couldn’t afford the expenses of team swimming.

Let ‘Er Buck Cares will also be a boon to the Pendleton Police Department budget. At $25,000, the department’s donation was the biggest of the day.

The department runs on a $5 million budget, but Police Chief Stuart Roberts said most of that money isn’t discretionary. The boost in funding could lead the department to target new investments like drones or Segways to help officers patrol the Pendleton River Parkway.

Like his recent decision to retire, Roberts said the cancellation of the Round-Up has been “bittersweet.” While he understands the importance of the event to the community, no Round-Up week means avoiding the stress and worry of policing thousands of visitors and local revelers. Without the need to have all hands on deck, Roberts allowed some of his officers to take vacation this week.

But at the end of the day, Roberts understands the reason his uniform has a bucking horse patch.

“It’s to the benefit of the community, no matter what people say,” he said.