NORTHFIELD — Seven decades of service will come to a close this summer with the dissolution of the Northfield Kiwanis Club.

Originally founded in the 1950s, the Northfield Kiwanis Club, a chapter of the international nonprofit that focuses on helping children, has faced dwindling membership, prompting the decision to dissolve.

“We’re down to six members,” said Steve Stoia, former president and current vice president of the Northfield Kiwanis Club. Stoia noted that while there is a vibrant population of willing volunteers in Northfield, there are various other committees and commitments that spread that population thin.

“National service clubs are struggling and they have been for 20 years,” added Joan Stoia, who is also a member of the Northfield Kiwanis Club. “And the closing of the Kiwanis is serious, because what members do is fundraise. We beat the pavement and get money for programs.”

As a nonprofit, the Kiwanis Club must distribute all of its assets upon dissolution, leading to several sizable donations to programs across Northfield.

“We’re trying to make sure all these programs from the past continue,” Steve Stoia said.

One donation of $15,500 went to the Northfield Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization for a new pavilion that will serve as an outdoor classroom for students and a community space for locals. That donation amounts to roughly half of the total budget for the pavilion, with the other $15,000 coming from the Northfield Community Preservation Committee.

“It’s 50% of the budget that made it happen,” said Steve Roberto, the general contractor for the pavilion project and a former Kiwanis Club member. “We wouldn’t be here talking about this [pavilion] were it not for them. So, yeah, it’s unfortunate that Kiwanis is going out, but they’re going out with a bang.”

Another $8,000 from the Northfield Kiwanis Club went to the Dickinson Memorial Library for new furniture in the Children’s Room. The donation will provide two new bookshelves, new seating and a plaque commemorating the contribution.

“We’re very grateful for the gift,” said Dickinson Memorial Library Director Misha Storm. “It’s gonna be awesome to have new furniture upstairs.”

The Northfield Kiwanis Club has had a longstanding relationship with the Northfield Recreation Commission, helping to fund its summer program, a five-week day camp for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Stacy Bond, director of the Recreation Commission, emphasized the Kiwanis Club’s role in making the program happen.

“I’ve only been doing this for about three years,” Bond said, “and the Kiwanis every year, they donate thousands of dollars to our program.”

Half of those donations go to helping families in need to cover the cost of the summer program — $175 a week for residents and $200 for nonresidents — and the other half goes to funding the enrichment activities that take place. This year, the Kiwanis Club donated $8,000 to the Recreation Commission.

The Northfield Kiwanis Club has also been instrumental in funding the Great River Triathlon, an off-road race consisting of paddling, running and biking.

David Thomas, co-owner of Stellar Kayaks Inc. and the Northfield resident who came up with the Great River Triathlon, explained that the Kiwanis Club “really helped us get off the ground as an idea for a race.”

“Joan and Steve were instrumental in the whole process,” he added.

The Kiwanis Club helped provide the seed money for Thomas to get the race going. The race itself is a nonprofit and the money it raises is donated to the Recreation Commission’s summer program.

“It’s amazing what [the Kiwanis Club has] done for the community,” Thomas said. “They’ve done a great job over the years, really anchoring some of these big events and giving back to the community.”

The Kiwanis Club has contributed to many other local causes, including the Northfield Regional Food Pantry and the Northfield Clothing Closet. The group has hosted an annual Easter egg hunt with help from the Northfield Police Department and Northfield EMS, who will be taking over organization of the event. The club also holds an annual craft and gift fair each December, the proceeds of which go to feeding low-income families. The Kiwanis Club has also distributed scholarships to graduating high school students in Northfield.

“The town is losing a fundraising skill set,” Joan Stoia said. “It’s friend-making first, then it’s fundraising. It’s up to the people to continue that.”