While many students were lounging in truck beds at Rodeo on Saturday, a different kind of tailgate was happening at Ag Heritage Park.
The first Tailgate For a Cause, which lasted from 2-6 p.m., was a cook-off between 12 non-profits from the Auburn and Opelika area and was sponsored by Allstate's Prewett Insurance Group.
"We started off just partnering with local non-profits," said Rusty Prewett, Allstate agent and organizer of Tailgate for a Cause. "I love to barbecue, so it was just a good fit to pair them both together and have Tailgate for a Cause."
Prewett advertised the event through social media and word of mouth and opened the event to any non-profit that wanted to participate.
"We got a call from Rusty Prewett and we thought it'd be a great way to give back to the causes and get our name out there," said Jessica Laird, volunteer for Lee County United Way.
Many of the non-profits were partnered with a business that sponsors them throughout the year.
United Way was partnered with Afni, Lee County Literacy Coalition was partnered with Beef O'Brady's, Women's Hope Medical Clinic was partnered with Overton Real Estate and Jean Dean RIF was partnered with Collins and Evans Real Estate, along with many others.
For the cook-off, people paid $5 to sample a different tailgate dish from each nonprofit's tent.
Some of the different options to choose from were pulled pork sandwiches from Jean Dean RIF, barbecue, ribs and wings from Women's Hope Medical Center and three kinds of dessert served over grilled angel food cake from United Way.
"We knew a lot of people were going to be doing barbecue, ribs, things you usually find at a tailgate," Laird said. "We wanted to come up with something different, but still tailgate so we said 'we'll grill angel food cake.'"
Once attendees decided which dish was their favorite, they dropped a gold token in the organization's collection can.
The organization with the most tokens won an additional $300 for their cause, a grilling trophy and bragging rights.
This year's winner of the cook-off was Firefighters for Life, which raises money to pay for things like medical bills and hospital equipment for children.
The Hudson Family Foundation was second, and Freedom 21 came in third place.
Even if their group didn't win, each nonprofit received a donation from the proceeds of the event, corporate sponsors, the raffle that was held and the T-shirt drive that took place before the event.
"Our goal is to raise a good amount of money for these nonprofits, but mainly we want to raise awareness," Prewett said. "With a lot of these great causes, most people don't even know about them."
The event did allow many organizations a chance to advertise for upcoming events.
Jean Dean RIF had waivers and sign-up sheets for their Ride to Read Motorcycle Run, which happens in June, and United Way told people about their Team NFL program, which they will be signing people up for on A-Day.
The event also helped Auburn students get involved.
"I haven't been involved with them yet, but I want to start, so I volunteered to help today," said Leslie Wright, freshman in international business and volunteer for Jean Dean RIF.
There were approximately 10 student volunteers at the event, according to Prewett.
"We're partnering with these organizations throughout the year, so we're always looking for good volunteers and people that want to get involved," Prewett said.
For more information about local nonprofits and how to get involved with volunteering, students can call Prewett at 334-502-5111 or visit WeLoveOurCause.com.
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