For a decade, Chuck Rodgers has both entertained neighbors and supported a local nonprofit with an elaborate holiday lights display, and this year is no exception.

At Rodgers’ Niwot home at 5980 N. 79th St., nearly 50 holiday-themed inflatables fill the front yard of his farm next to blinking trees and multicolored lights. Visitors don’t even need to step out of their cars, as drivers can wind through the decorated driveway in the comfort of their vehicles.

“I’ve always had a great fondness for Christmas, growing up out here on the farm,” Rodgers said. “Everybody was always decorating, so I just kept on decorating as I got older.”

While the display have been a staple in Niwot for years, installing it is no easy feat. This year, Rodgers began setting up in October, chipping away at various pieces until everything finally came together on Nov. 28. The display will stay up through the first week of January.

Rodgers said that while he usually aims for Dec. 1 as the first day, he moved the schedule up this year since so many people were stopping by his home in anticipation of the lights.

“We have lots of people who come through multiple times,” Rodgers said. “People have gone through with their kids, and now they’re bringing their grandkids.”

Rodgers is putting the crowds the display draws to good use: people who view the lights are encouraged to donate to Longmont Meals on Wheels. Spectators have the option of making a cash donation to a collection box or paying online by scanning a QR code. Donations to Longmont Meals on Wheels can even come in the form of food, with a wagon on site to collect canned goods.

Rodgers said his dad was a big supporter of both the Boulder and Longmont branches of Meals on Wheels, and he’s had several friends and family members use Meals on Wheels’s services. The idea to feature his display as a fundraiser came about when he saw a couple on TV do the same thing, and he realized Longmont Meals on Wheels would make a good beneficiary.

“Every dollar counts, and we’ll take whatever anybody wants to leave in the container,” Rodgers said. “People are just trusting you to give it to Meals on Wheels, and I give every dime to them.”

The fundraiser’s $20,000 goal has been surpassed each of the last four winters, with donations topping $21,000 last year. Unfortunately, Rodgers said, donations are down this holiday season compared to recent years.

“I think it’s just inflation,” he said. “People are short on money and things are so expensive. Charity is not quite high up on a lot of people’s lists.”

The fundraiser does have some extra support this year through a donation from Pivot Energy. At a ceremony at Rodgers’ home Wednesday celebrating a new solar garden project, the company and its construction partner Namaste Solar presented Longmont Meals on Wheels with a check for $7,500. Rodgers said the contribution takes the fundraiser halfway to its goal.

Katie Wiser, development and communications director for Longmont Meals on Wheels, said the nonprofit is consistently amazed by the display and Rodgers’ support.

“He wants it to be his gift to us,” Wiser said. “To take his talents and what he wants to give, and to leverage that and encourage others to give … it’s just really special.”