KOC pig roast raises money for charity fund

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — The Knights of Columbus took advantage of a beautiful day for a barbecue Sunday as they hosted their annual pig roast in an attempt to raise money for their charity fund. According to member Brian Bourgeois, the Catholic family organization, which has had a home in Gardner for more than 109 years, hosts community fundraising events such as this one on a regular basis. “The money we raise here today will go toward our overall charity fund,” said Mr. Bourgeois. “This is our eighth year doing this; we used to have it as a Fiddle Fest but it’s getting harder and harder to find those people so we’ve made it into a pig roast with a live band.” Fortunately, the weather cooperated throughout the day, and Mr. Bourgeois said he expected a large crowd of members to attend the event. “We expect about 100 to 150 people to show up and we have great weather today so we hope a lot of people come out,” said Mr. Bourgeois. “We will be offering people pork sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs.” Throughout the day patrons had the opportunity to enjoy “Adam and Friends,” a local country band made up of several members of the organization. “I have played events here many times because I have been a member since I was 18,” said member Jim Theriault. “We expect a pretty good turnout.” Mr. Bourgeois said the money raised isn’t going to benefit a specific cause but will be spread across several different initiatives across the community. “This is going to be going to our general charity fund. We get a lot of requests throughout the year from a lot of the sports booster clubs in town, and we also do a number of other charitable events mostly in support of children, the handicapped and the less fortunate,” said Mr. Bourgeois. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 9/22/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 224)