CHARLESTON, W.Va — It’s BBQ for a cause this weekend in the Capital City.
On Saturday, the 2nd Annual Charley West BBQ Fest fundraiser to benefit the Bob Burdette Center will be held from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Charleston’s Haddad Riverfront Park.
“We are really just trying to raise funds and awareness for our program and let people know we are here and what we are doing to help the West Side,” said Loren Farmer, Burdette Center executive director.
The Burdette Center, which has been a part of the Charleston community for 18 years, is known for its afterschool program that helps families with children grades K-12 free of charge.
“We have three program locations: Emmanuel Baptist Church, North Charleston Baptist Church, and Edgewood Elementary,” explained Farmer. “We provide after school programming to kids from those locations as well as Grandview Elementary, Mary C. Snow West side Elementary, and Stonewall Jackson Middle School.”
Farmer continued, explaining what kids in the program experience.
“When they arrive they get a full meal. They have some free time, but we also do homework assistance, enrichment activities, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and programs like ‘Arts in Action’. We really just try to get the kids learning outside of school.”
The center is currently serving 120 children on the West Side, which Farmer says is important for families in Charleston who may not be able to afford afterschool care for their kids.
“It’s critical. There are a lot of working families who need a safe place for their kids after school where they can get their homework done. We do offer our services free of charge to all families. It can be expensive to pay for after school care, up to $50 a week per child, and that adds up quickly, especially if you have two or three kids.”
The fundraiser dubbed “The Charley West BBQ Fest” will give the community a chance to raise money for the program. The public will be able to purchase meals from commercial BBQ vendors and tasting tickets to sample BBQ from “backyard cooks”.
Ten dollars will purchase ten tasting tickets, and the opportunity to vote for “The People’s Choice-Best BBQ”.
A panel of judges will also be on hand to do blind taste tests and name the “Best BBQ in Charleston at the Charley West BBQ Fest”. With four categories to win in, such as best pulled pork and best ribs, there will be plenty of BBQ to go around.
Farmer said, even though the event is only in its second year, it has become crucial to the program.
“This is our second year, it was a huge contributor to our budget last year. It provides funds that can cover things for the program that might not be covered by grants,” she told 580-WCHS.
For more information on the competition, go to www.charleywestbbqfest.com.