MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Enjoy the warmer weather with the some tasty barbeque, while also supporting families with young children in Muskegon County.
Saturday, May 20 is the third annual Holy Smokes barbeque cookoff. The fundraiser, put on by the Catholic Charities of West Michigan, offers live music, a raffle giveaway and, of course, lots of barbeque! It’s happening at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company in Muskegon.
There will be seven teams competing for the best tasting barbeque, including last year’s champs, Tiki Boiz.
Tickets in advance are $50, which can be purchased up until Friday. On Saturday, ticket prices will be $60. Tickets allow you to taste all seven competing barbeque dishes and include one alcoholic beverage.
Proceeds will benefit the St. Gianna Baby & Toddler Pantry.
Karol Maurer is the director of development and community outreach with the Catholic Charities of West Michigan. She shared more about what the pantry offers to families.
“Parents can come in once every 30 days to utilize the pantry and we set it up like a boutique. So, we really want to give the parents in the community a dignified experience. They come in and they shop for clothing, baby clothes, maternity clothes, diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, books. Anything – you name it, we have,” Maurer said.
She also mentioned the financial difficulties many parents face accessing the essentials.
“We know diapers and formula are very expensive and often times people have to choose between a meal or buying a box of diapers and we just don’t want people to have to make that sacrifice.”
The pantry is open to anyone in the community with kids 5 years old or younger. The organization also offers car seat classes and safe sleep courses.
Last year, the Holy Smokes cookoff raised $30,000 for the St. Gianna Baby Pantry. This year, they’ve already surpassed that from pre-sale tickets.
To get your tickets or learn more, click here.
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