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money for Hogs for the Cause, as does another team that joined this year from Kentucky. A group from Tennessee does its own independent fundraising there, even holding a golf tournament specifically for the cause of helping families facing the scourge of children’s brain cancer. And though it is all local — and slowly becoming a regional Southeastern program — the good that Hogs for the Cause does is nationwide, sending grant money to suffering families in all 50 states. Anyone wanting to get involved should first attend the annual event to see what it’s all about. “Experience it.

Feel the energy. See if it’s something that you really enjoy and something that kind of speaks to you,” Gottsegen says. Just by

The charity cook-off categories at Hogs for the Cause highlight the variety and creativity of the barbecue dishes presented at the event​.

attending, you are financially supporting the organization and everything that it accom plishes. And if you want to do more,

he suggests approaching a team. “Go to somebody’s booth and say, ‘Hey, I’m really looking to get involved. I want to volunteer my time.’ It won’t take long before you find someone who wants to bring you on board.” The teams need all types of volunteers. Gottsegen first got involved not because he’s a pitmaster, but because he runs a small business, and knew a little bit about how to use QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel. The team needed a treasurer, and he soon got swept up in it. “Everybody has their own sort of story like that. And there are many people involved doing it because they had a friend or a family member who had a child diagnosed with brain cancer. It hit them in the heart, and they wanted to somehow help people going through such a tragic period,” says Gottsegen. “That’s what we are trying to do, and we’re just getting started. Wherever there’s a family in need, Hogs for the Cause will be there to support them.”

Hogs for the Cause is one of the largest barbecue and music festivals in the country, drawing over 30,000 fans to enjoy performances by 20 bands and savor the offerings of more than 90 competing barbecue teams.

Children’s of Mississippi leaders gathered with barbecue team members and Hogs for the Cause organizers to celebrate the New Orleans-based barbecue and music festival’s $1.5 million gift to the state’s only children’s hospital. Joe Ellis/ UMMC Photography

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