Fraternal Order of Police holding first annual “Pig Roast”
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POCATELLO – The Portneuf Valley Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is holding the first annual ‘Pig Roast’ fundraiser this weekend.
The event is a first for Pocatello law enforcement and will be raising money for the FOP and Bright Tomorrows Advocacy Center.
During the night, guests will eat dinner and enjoy a comedy show featuring stand-up comedian Todd Johnson.
“Some other police unions, most notably the Idaho Falls Police Union, do a gala as one of their main fundraising events for union betterments yearly,” says Patrol Corporal Ryen Smith with the Pocatello Police Department. “Rather than trying to copycat them, we had our state trustee, who is familiar with the comedian, and he came up with the idea of doing a comedy show as a less formal event that we feel kind of suits our personalities.”
The night includes a 50/50 raffle, a dessert dash, a cash bar, door prizes, and many raffle items like a locally made above-ground fire pit.
“This is our first real foray into fundraising outside of just among our own union body. We’ve done raffles and such for our own union parties, where we try to celebrate our officers and their families on a much smaller level,” Smith says. “We’re really hoping to be able to step up and do more community outreach, and for that, we need a little extra help. Ultimately, we’d to be more philanthropic if we can, and if this is successful, to be able to keep building on it, building moment, and to keep building relationships with the community that way.”
The Portneuf Valley FOP aims to connect with the community through a night of fun and entertainment.
“It’s one of the opportunities where you can interact with your local police department off duty, which I think helps remind people that we’re also citizens of this community,” says Smith. “It should be a fun event where we can kind of let our hair down, so to speak, and remind people that we live here too. This is important for us in our community as well.”
The event is being held at Grace Lutheran School on Saturday, June 24. Doors open at 5 p.m., cocktail hour is until 6 p.m. when dinner will begin, and the comedy show starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $40 per person, which includes one raffle ticket. To purchase tickets, contact Ryen Smith at rysmith@pocatello.gov or call (208) 530-8578.