Smoke, Sauce, and a Cause

Four Days, One Cause

From May 13 to 16, Rivard-Royall GMC set up at Liberty Park alongside 210 barbecue teams from 28 states and 7 foreign countries for the 48th annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Over 50,000 people came through the gates over four days. The WCBCC is the biggest weekend in Memphis barbecue, and anyone who has spent a long Friday night walking the tents knows why it gets called the "Super Bowl of Swine."

We came with a goal: use four days of Memphis foot traffic to raise real money for a real cause. Our team ran a raffle throughout the contest, got the word out about Dorothy Day House to every visitor who stopped by, and pointed people straight to the donation form whenever the conversation turned that way. By the end of the weekend, we had raised seven hundred dollars going directly to Dorothy Day House Memphis.

Every dollar matters. Dorothy Day House is the only program in Memphis providing transitional housing to whole families together, no exceptions for who gets to stay, and the organization runs entirely on private donations. Seven hundred dollars is a meaningful step forward for the families they serve, and we are grateful to every Memphian and every visitor who chipped in.

This was the first of what we hope will be many fundraisers tied to Memphis events. If you missed us at the contest, you can still give directly to Dorothy Day House any time using the link below.