Calling all bacon lovers

From smoked bacon to bacon ice cream and even cookies filled with bacon, the headline ingredient for Bacon Fest for Haiti is definitely center stage. The smell of the pork specialty will be in the air from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Garden Square in Prairie City where everyone is invited to try the new bacon favorites and help raise money for an important cause.

“Bacon Fest for Haiti is a fundraiser put on by the Prairie City Christian Reformed Church. Our desire is to help the people of Haiti establish a pig farm so they have access to sustainable meat,” organizer Ali Davis said. “By raising money we can help them buy and get necessary supplies needed.”

The church has been supporting missionaries in Haiti through United Christians International (UCI). Part of UCI’s mission in Haiti is to teach and equip the citizens by educating them in many areas, including agriculture.

“There is very little meat production in Haiti, and the people of Haiti have very little meat available to eat, eating meat only an average of one or two times a week, with a normal portion size being a two-inch square cube,” 2019 organizer Janna Klyn Bouwkamp said. “UCI has successfully started a chicken farm and are now interested in starting a pig farm to raise.”

It is just $10 to get a fill of the bacon samples. To cast a vote for a favorite bacon treat, a donation can be made at the booth to put it in the running for the best. Whichever booth raises the most money will be crowned Bacon Master joining the 2019 champion the “Bacon Scramble.”

“There will be a variety of booths set up in the garden square with samples of the ‘best bacon recipes around.’ The only requirement is that bacon is an ingredient,” Davis said. “While we can’t spoil any of the details about the specific food served this year ... you’ll definitely be in for a treat!”

The inaugural Bacon Fest raised close to $5,000, which went toward fencing for the pigs. The next step for the project is adding concrete and finding healthy pigs to raise.

“It was a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to this year,” Davis said. “Please come on out, get those bellies full and see who is crowned bacon master of 2021.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com