Pig roast event goes Wednesday

Nikki Jamieson
Vauxhall Advance
njamieson@tabertimes.com

For those hankering for a good piece of pork; worry no more. The 12th annual Vauxhall and District Foodgrains Growing Project BBQ and Pig Roast is coming up next week, so be prepared to come with a big appetite.

“It’s a chance for the community to hang out and enjoy a good meal,” said Tim van der Hoek, director of the Growing Project.

The annual BBQ and Pig Roast is the big fundraiser for the Growing Project, who will use the funds raised to cover the operating costs of their crop fields. The draw of roast pig brought in 400 people last year.

“It actually started as one of us local farmers had pig spits, so we could cook pigs ourselves,” said van der Hoek, adding that it allowed them to treat guests at a relatively low cost.

“It just kept growing and growing, and now we got to the point where the Copperfield, the local Hutterite colony, actually does the cooking for us.”
Potato Growers prepare french fries for the event, and the local Co-Op store provides sides such as salads for the event.

“The food all comes locally by donation, so it’s not that we’re going to Costco or Lethbridge to get this. All the food is sourced locally, supplied locally, so it’s a good way to support the local economy and help the Foodgrains at the same time.”

Over the years, the Growing Project has raised $1 million. With the federal government matching the donation at a 4:1 ratio, it turns into a whopping $5 million.

“It’s impressive to see that many people come and donate to such a good cause.”

The Growing Project’s BBQ and Pig Roast will take place on Wednesday, July 20, at 6 p.m. at Bennen’s Potato Storage, located four miles north on Highway 36. Admission is by donation.

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of churches and church-based organizations throughout the country, working to end global hunger. Food is distributed based on need, regardless of religious or political affiliation. They do not ship Canadian grain overseas anymore, as grain donations are now sold on the Canadian market and food is bought closer to the area of need.

Through growing projects such as the one in Vauxhall, groups of people plant, tend, harvest and then sell the crop, with the proceeds from the sale being donated to the Foodgrains Bank.

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