NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Hogs for the Cause announced it will donate $1,000,000 to renovate existing apartments into new Patient Housing funded by Hogs for the Cause, at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“This is a momentous gift for Hogs as we have now made life-changing gifts across the entire Gulf South,” said Zandy Rainold, chief financial officer for Hogs for the Cause. “With this commitment, Hogs has committed over $12.5 million in grants in just sixteen years, and we are just getting started.”
This new Patient Housing funded by Hogs for the Cause will serve as on-campus housing for families from the St. Petersburg area or other regions of the state who are receiving treatment requiring extended hospital care at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The renovation creates four separate apartments. Each apartment includes an open-style kitchen with dining area, living room, ADA restroom, bedroom, and unit shared bedrooms, for a total of 6 bedrooms within the House. A children’s wellness garden adjacent to the House will feature an overhead canopy, interactive nature elements, and a playful path. This marks the first Hogs House opened outside of Louisiana.
The first Hogs House was built at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, now Manning Family Children’s, in 2018, and a second House Hogs debuted in 2024 at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“Both of our Hogs Houses have been at full capacity since we opened the doors,” said Becker Hall, co-founder and chief executive officer of Hogs for the Cause. “It definitely proves there is a great need for this type of housing. The impact a Hogs House has on families dealing with pediatric health issues is our greatest incentive for fundraising. We are grateful for the overwhelming support we receive all year long, yet it doesn’t stop there. Building this third Hogs House is a testament to the work we must continue to do.”
“We are honored to be partnering with Hogs for the Cause,” said Joseph Primavera, executive director of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute. “This patient housing will relieve some of the financial burden for families and allow them to focus on their children while in a place of respite. The Patient Housing layout has been thoughtfully designed to provide privacy and promote health and wellness for families.”
Hogs for the Cause, which began as a pig roast with a few friends hoping to raise money for a young boy with pediatric brain cancer in 2009, has grown into one of the country’s most highly acclaimed barbeque competitions and music festivals. The funds from the festival allow the organization to help thousands of families through direct grants and funding programming at children’s hospitals. Since its inception, the organization has made grants totaling $12 million in giving, including direct grants to families battling pediatric brain cancer and to hospital programs and other public charities.
For more information about Hogs for the Cause and its events, fundraising, grants, and charitable contributions, visit www.hogsforthecause.com.
