WYANDOTTE — Gary Sorice was engaged in a fierce competition with the Girl Scouts at the corner of Eureka and Fort streets, but he didn’t mind. It was all for a good cause.

The Scouts were selling cookies; he was “selling” Tootsie Rolls. For drivers with a sweet tooth, it was the best of both worlds.

Sorice was participating in the Knights of Columbus’ semiannual Tootsie Roll drive March 19, held the weekend of Palm Sunday every year to benefit the mentally and physically disabled. Last year, the drive raised more than $830,000 statewide.

The nationwide drive is one of the hallmarks for the Knights, whose principles of “charity, fraternity, unity and patriotism” were on display as members collected donations in churches, on street corners and in places of business.

In Wyandotte, Council 1802 has been handing out Tootsie Rolls for 40 years. One of the oldest councils in the state, having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015, the council averages between $3,000 and $4,000 in donations each year.

While many councils collect donations after Masses or at church functions, Council 1802 has been hitting Wyandotte’s streets for as long as anyone in the Downriver community can remember.

“We’ve had 70 degrees and sunny, and we’ve had rain and snow, too. It doesn’t matter,” said Joe Knapp, coordinator of the Wyandotte council’s drive. “The reaction is the same: people are very willing to give. There’s a lot of good out there, and people really do consider the works that we do as beneficial to not only somebody maybe they know, but the community as well.”

Twenty percent of the total collected is sent to the Knights of Columbus’ state council, which distributes the funds to various charities, of which the Special Olympics is the primary, Knapp said. The remainder supports locally chosen charities such as the Wyandotte-based Arc Downriver, Madison Center and JoBrighton Skills Center, which work with students and adults with cognitive disabilities.

Jerry Miller, grand knight of Council 1802, said helping others is simply “part of the duty of being a Knight.”

“I think it’s a great cause, and I always tell the members, ‘If you walk through any of those centers, you see the need for them,’” said Miller, who has worked the drive for more than 25 years. “Our city serves a lot of children from many of the Downriver communities. There are many schools in Wyandotte that serve the special needs population.”

Miller, who worked the drive this year with his 20-year-old son, added the drive is a good opportunity to bond with fellow Knights, even family members.

“You get out there and you talk, you see people, and you just have more one-on-one time,” Miller said. “My son and I, how often do we spend two hours together doing the same thing? It’s fun just to be out there.”

For Knapp, who has participated in the Tootsie Roll drive for 26 years, standing out on a busy intersection on a cold Saturday morning isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always rewarding.

“I’m getting a little older, but I still enjoy it,” Knapp said. “For the hazards of being out on the roads, I’ve never had a close encounter, and we’ve had some busy intersections. But the people are just willing to give unconditionally.”

It’s good for the community to see the Knights giving back, as well, Knapp said.

“A lot of people recognize us, and they know us,” Knapp said. “They recognize the vests, and we get a lot of people who say ‘my brother or my father did a lot of work for the Knights of Columbus.’ It’s nothing for people to throw a $5 bill in there and sometimes not even want a Tootsie Roll.”

Sometimes drivers have a friend or relative who’s special needs, and other times people are just appreciative for the chance to give back, Miller said.

“Yesterday, when I was working Eureka, a gentleman going in the other direction pulled over and walked across traffic to the center lane to make his donation,” Miller said. “It goes to show there still are some good people in this world.”