The Taste of Summer Charity Barbecue kicked off Wednesday at SCU on the corner of Main and Lumber with hotdogs, community and face painting.
Local charities receive the funds raised from the hotdog lunches sold, and it started with a record-breaking amount raised for Soup’s On.
That final amount is $8201.02, the highest ever. As the total was counted, people came to drop off cheques and donations to add to the total.
Joy Neufeld, the founder of Soup’s On, was brought to tears when processing the announcement.
“Community’s always been so, so generous to Soup’s On, and they've come through in such a strong way this year and it's going to feed so many children. It's so amazing,” Neufeld says.
All donations will go towards Soup's On's lunch programs to feed families and students.
While the scheduled time for the charity barbecue was 11 AM to 1 PM, the hotdog lunches already sold out at noon.
On top of all the generous donations, Birchwood Funeral Chapel Coop matched the total amount up to $2000.
Eight-year-old Tristan recently held a lemonade stand and raised $46. He came to donate his earnings and was thrilled to hear that it would be doubled by Birchwood Funeral Chapel Coop, raising his total to $92. Tristan says that donating makes him feel “good.”
The Taste of Summer Charity Barbecue continues next week, Wednesday, July 12, from 11 AM to 1 PM or until supplies last. Proceeds will be donated to YFC Steinbach.
Thank you to our sponsors who make this all possible:
Royal Le Page Riverbend Realty
With files from Corny Rempel.