Hogs for the Cause is a music festival and BBQ competition that raises money for families whose children have pediatric brain cancer. Nearly 1/3 of pediatric cancer deaths are from brain cancer, and brain cancer is the deadliest pediatric cancer. Nearly 20% of children diagnosed with cancer are living in poverty, and nearly 1/3 of families face substantial work disruption as a result of their child’s diagnosis. Hogs for the Cause is the leading provider of outreach services to families who are battling pediatric brain cancer in the United States. Since its founding in 2009, Hogs for the Cause has provided over $2.3 million in direct grants to families battling pediatric cancer and nearly $9 million to hospitals across the country. This includes nearly $5,000,000 to build temporary housing in New Orleans and Baton Rouge where families can stay for free while their child is receiving care at the hospital. You can learn more about Hogs for the Cause’s impact here.
My competition team, Lard and In Charge, is a Louisiana non-profit and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is competing once again at the 2024 Hogs for the Cause barbecue competition on April 5th and 6th to raise money for the fight against pediatric brain cancer and to support affected families. So far, Lard and In Charge has raised almost $100,000 to support Hogs for the Cause’s mission. Lard and in Charge was founded in 2016 as a group of young professionals and amateur barbequers to have fun and raise money for a good cause. In the years since, we’ve upped our barbeque game, winning the inaugural Nueske’s Bacon Night for our deep-fried, bacon-wrapped plantain and being declared the 2021 High-on-the-Hog Grand Champions. Our story has been told in The Gambit, Eater, and on a live Fox8 News cooking demo, with one local news outlet describing our success this way:
In a field of teams consisting of 30 to 50 members, the Lards got it done with less than a dozen dedicated barbecue warriors. ‘The Lards were crowned Grand Champions over a field of teams that included renowned chefs like Tory McPhail and the some of the city’s top BBQ joints, such as Blue Oak BBQ and Crescent City BBQ. While most teams have thousands of dollars in equipment and professional cook teams, the Lards were crowned Grand Champs with a team of three home BBQ cooks, two Camp Chef pellet smokers and some BBQ loving warriors.
We still aren’t sure if this is praise or condescension.
With this momentum, Lard and in Charge is hoping to raise $25,000 to support our mission and change lives. If you are interested in making a donation, you can do so here.
