Roughly 50,000 people this past weekend enjoyed one of the region’s favourite foodie festivals, Esquimalt’s celebration of southern BBQ – the Esquimalt Ribfest.
And while the ribs are the backbone, the meat is at the heart of the event, which doubles as a fundraiser for local charities.
“Ours is mainly the turf field project at Esquimalt High School and the firefighters fund who distribute into mainly kids organizations in the community,” said Esquimalt Ribfest chair Tom Woods on Thursday.
So when organizers found out thousands of dollars had been stolen by scammers using a 3D printer to replicate the event’s drink tokens, to say they were disappointed would be an understatement.
“We were annoyed and bothered that someone would steal from a charity. It’s like reaching into the Salvation Army kettle and grabbing cash and running,” said Woods. “It’s about as low as you can get.”
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That was, until the community found out on Wednesday night. Since then, Woods says they’ve been flooded with emails offering tech help, donations, even new sponsors.
“It kinda tugged at a heartstring. You don’t want to leave the kids out,” said Dale Morton, owner of Sasquatch Heat Pumps. “It’s just an easy spot to step in and do some good.”
The community has stepped forward so much, Woods says they’re looking at being able to donate even more than expected this year.
“We’ve we’ve probably recovered that money, plus,” said Woods.
Woods says next year instead of tokens it’ll be wristbands, but at least the group will be putting on Ribfest once again with their faith in humanity restored.
More than a decade in, Ribfest has raised nearly $2 million for local charities.
