Pork industry jogs for a cause

May 08, 2018

Event celebrates producers and raises funds for local charity

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Lace up your running shoes and prepare for the annual Hog Jog in Stratford, Ont. on June 20.

For the 13th consecutive year, the Ontario Pork Industry Council will host the event at the Ontario Pork Congress.

“The goal of the Hog Jog is to raise awareness about an important local cause, give back to the community, celebrate the people of the pork industry and have fun,” Lori Moser, a volunteer on the 2018 Hog Jog Committee, told Farms.com today.

Each year, the event committee selects a different charity to receive the funds from the race.

“We select the cause from numerous excellent applications,” Moser said. “We look for an opportunity to give back locally in a meaningful way.”

For the 2018 event, the organization will donate the proceeds to The Local Community Food Centre in Stratford, which offers meals, and cooking and gardening classes to the public. The Local also has a community garden, the Hog Jog website states.

The Local will use the funding to make improvements to its dining room and storehouse, Derek Barnes, manager of community outreach and communications, told Farms.com.

These enhancements will allow “low-income community members to enjoy our region’s food bounty with less of the stigma or diminishment often associated with emergency food programs,” he said.

Local pork producers can participate in the 2018 Hog Jog in multiple ways.

“They can register to run or walk and ask friends to support them, form a team and work together to raise funds, volunteer, or support others who are running and raising funds,” Moser said.

The event has three courses to accommodate people of all ages and skill levels, including:

a free 500-metre weaner run for children who are six years old or younger.
a family-friendly 3.5 km route on pavement.
a 10 km course with a segment in the T.J. Dolan Conservation Area.

Individuals and teams can register online until June 19, or in person on the day of the race. To participate, adults must pay $30 and youth must pay $20.

The registration fee includes a ticket for dinner after the race. Conestoga Meats donated pork for this meal. Participants can purchase extra meal tickets at a price of $5 per guest.

Last year, participants raised more than $52,000 for Optimism Place, a women’s shelter in Perth County. The shelter purchased a van to transport local and rural women and their children, the website says.

Caron Watson / iStock / Getty Images Plus photo

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