The sunny Raleigh skies shined bright for the 12th Annual Pig Pickin’ hosted by Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry on Saturday, April 6th. The event saw 350 people gather for good BBQ and live bluegrass music. The event was a resounding success, raising over $30,000 for the pantry. These funds will play a vital role in ensuring that families across Wake and Johnston counties have access to essential food resources.
Program Director Kelly Rappl expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support: “Last year, over 73,000 people received food assistance from Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry. That number is growing every day and events like the Pig Pickin’ are instrumental in enabling us to meet the needs of so many families, ensuring they have access to nutritious groceries.”
While Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry benefits greatly from donations across Wake County, there remains a need for fresh items that are not always readily available. “We are committed to providing a balanced selection of groceries,” Rappl emphasized. “This includes shelf-stable items often donated, but also extends to purchasing fresh essentials like eggs, milk, meat, and produce. Our goal is to empower families to prepare nutritional meals at home.”
Beyond supporting a worthy cause, attendees partook in freshly cooked on-site chopped pork with sides such as fresh hush puppies, expertly prepared by Chef Chris Weir, and the dedicated volunteers from the Cathedral Knights of Columbus. Many guests also took advantage of the bake sale offerings of pies, cookies, and cakes, often sharing with others around them.
Surrounded by three levels of storage racking for food inventory, guests gathered in the Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry 10,000 square foot warehouse to “pig out on” their meals while taking in the mesmerizing sounds of live bluegrass music performed by Shannon Baker & sometime soon! The excitement continued as attendees tried their luck in the raffle, hoping to secure one of the many great prizes.
Reflecting on the event’s success, Rappl expressed her heartfelt appreciation: “We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us today. It truly takes a unified community effort to care for our neighbors, and the great turnout at the Pig Pickin’ proves once again how dedicated the Raleigh community is to “nourishing our neighbors.”
