Fire relief fundraiser goes “whole hog”

    The idea of a community barbecue to help raise funds for the Cottonwood Fire Ranchers Relief was conceived by Bob Stanfiel, a competition barbecue chef from Hill City. The idea grew almost as fast as did the destructive fire.
    A free-will offering fundraiser, Saturday, Nov. 5, was held at the Fire Hall Park in Philip, with all funds going into the Cottonwood Fire account handled by Philip Charities.
    “Everything is paid for, so everything that comes in can go straight to where it needs to go,” said Stanfiel.
    Though not a competition, Stanfiel and five other region competition barbecue teams cooked the donated meat – two 250-pound butcher hogs and 560 pounds of beef brisket.
    Their expertise and time were donated. “We know in our hearts this is the right thing to do,” announced Stanfiel during the event.
    Businesses, community organizations,  fraternal organizations and individuals donated all the ingredients – from meat rubs, charcoal, wood, salads and plastic plates to cash. Donations, “large and miscellaneous ones here and there,” came from across the state, said Stanfiel.
    Two of the cash donations included $10,000 from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation and $2,500 from the Philip area’s National Mutual Benefit Branch #85.
    “We raised right at $42,000 and roughly a thousand people went through the line,” said Matt Reedy, treasurer for the Philip Chamber of Commerce. He added that many other fundraisers donating to the Cottonwood Fire account are still in progress. The funds will be allocated, by a committee, to the landowners who were affected by the Cottonwood Fire.